Mumei
by Verdigurl
Summary: He'd given her a name, and a purpose for her pitiful existence in this world, a world that had rejected her. With a new freedom in her heart, a goal in her mind, and a stong conscience, she'd do anything he asked with open, willing arms. By any means, it will be done. Rated: T. Violence. Blood.Randomness. Oc. Enjoy! -ON HIATUS-
1. Chapter 1: Lure

**Ao No Exorcist Fan fiction**

**Mumei**

**Chapter 1: Lure**

**Warnings: Violence, blood.**

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**~o0o~**

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In all honesty, she was never meant to leave the sight of her ever-guarding suitors. They crowded into a breathing space that was impossible to mentally stand. They always breathed down her neck, suspiciously watching her every nervous move. Although heavily watched as she was, she felt more like her skin, something that was a pale comparison to her surroundings that if you blinked, or looked away for even a fraction of a second, her presence would melt into emptiness. That was the epiphany of her existence, a piece of furniture, really.

So what other reason did she have to stay here, in a decaying castle floating in the sky?

It wasn't an impossible task. She had enough knowledge to watch the guards' movements, their patters, their conversations, their unorthodox way of speaking to each other. They had repetitive, almost instinctual habits that could be spotted, picked at, if the girl had all the time she could possibly be given. The barriers called walls that encased her in this designated space called "her room" werethe only thing she ever saw. Everyday, the same cracking, flaking blue plasticine walls were what she woke and fell asleep to. Anything, anything other than this, seeing the black of the sky, the cold blue of her walls, would be a pleasant welcome. The world that she longed to reach was not an impossible task.

In shifts, the guards changed places every six hours, so four times a day, but with the same people. They were to stay there, to keep her in, and intruders out. They were paid in living expenses to do that. But they were also paid to keep watch over her, things that should concern her comforts. Easily, they could both be distracted.

At nearly five past eleven at night, (it was always night, since the palace followed in the shadow of the moon), she lightly tapped on the door, three times quickly, then one slow one, and backed away from the door, waiting for a response. The heavy lock on the door clicked, and the old hinges on the wall screeched as one guard, a man looking to be in his late thirties, ducked his head, waiting. The girl gestured for a drink of water, and he complied, locking the door again. Then, she waited three minutes and knocked on the door for the second guard. It wasn't unusual for them to be in different places when on watch, you know. The kitchen, where the first man was heading, was a good six minutes away. The second guard, another man, this one with cow licked-moonlight hair opened the door and waited for her action. The girl, barely taller than his shoulder, clutched her pelvic area and made an uncomfortable face. The guard sighed and nodded, stepping to the side to let her into the hallway.

Of course, she was to be accompanied to the lavatory. Not once was she meant to be alone, except when she was to be sleeping, since that was her time to do with what she wanted, but even then, it was limited to ongoing surveillance. The trip was less than a minute, just around the corner and in a door to the left, into a washroom with separate room cubicles. The guard did not follow her into the cubical, but instead stood outside, with his hands crossed and resting in a comfortable position.

The tiles were cold on her bare feet, and she could feel the breeze coming through the bottom of the door. As quickly as she felt her gut turn, bile filling the bottom of her throat, she stuffed the toilet bowl with thetoilet paper that was loosely hanging on the wall. There was more underneath the sink, so they went in too. Her hand became wet, stinky, but it didn't bother, didn't even matter to her at the time. She had one single goal. These toilets were used by other servants of the palace. She could see the deliciously curved sprawls on the washroom wall. She could almost taste their alluring points. Over and over again, she flushed the toilet until the water overfilled the bowl, spilling vile liquids everywhere. It was almost enough to make her step back and turn, pinching her nose.

With an expressionless face, not to let on about the putrid smell, she opened the door quietly and tugged on the guard's clothes. He turned, and grumbled when he saw the sight on the floor. She knew this was a risk. The guard reluctantly knelt down and examined the toilet, trying to find the cause of the blockage. She would never know if he did or did not realize or even spot the paper that was stuffed into the bowl, because once his head was close enough, she sat down on the back of his neck and shoulders, disabling his ability to move, while she grabbed the toilet lid and forcefully smashed it down onto the top of his cranium, his head plunged into the water to muffle his screams. Crunching reverberated off the tile walls. Blood began to dribble down the back baseline of his shoulder blades, his body limp, no longer struggling so badly to live.

Backing up, she wiped her nose, and leaned on the vanity sink as a stable support. Then, she flicked off the light and closed the door to the cubical. In the outside washroom that connected all the cubical bathrooms together, mirrors lined the walls, following in straight lines like an opposing force bent on enforcing a barrier. In its silvery coating, through the gaps in her hair that were covering most of her face, she could see the stains of flickers of blood on her long-sleeved nightgown. The sleeves were coated in a layer of blood and water that dripped onto the washroom floor. It was the only sound, apart from her hollow breathing. In the adjacent sink, she wrung out her sleeves as much as she could before trying to find an escape route, to make sure she wouldn't be followed. After, she wiped the bottom of her feet, to lessen bloody footprints that might give her away. The stench of the blood was awful, but for now, she would just have to toughen up and continue towards her goal.

When she was finally ready, already losing a good five minutes, she opened the door and slowly looked out, checking the hallway. Good, nobody was patrolling here. At the moment, that is. And because of that, her decisions had to be quick and smart. Her first was the decision to turn left. It wasn't one that was really based on knowledge or safety, but one that was a choice between two. No thoughts, really. Just a choose and run situation. The long windy hallway lead to a covered courtyard that was unguarded and unfurnished, meaning that this was probably one of the servant courtyards, a place they could go when they were allowed breaks, which were rare. But it was a time for rest and sleep, so nobody would be here. Good.

The only sound she made was how her feet banged against the pavement as she ran across the courtyard, to a door, with a window that led to a promising scene. The door was old, and enchanted, so her flesh would probably be burnt if she tried to open it so carelessly. Luckily for her, she wasn't like the servants or anybody else here. God had given her a brain that could work. It hadn't led her down bad paths, or given her up yet. It was still a viable asset. With her bloodied sleeve, she wrapped the cloth around the handle and paused, waiting for anything to happen. But nothing had, and she breathed out a sigh of nervousness, a breath that had been unconsciously held.

It was obvious, the differences in environments from inside the covered canopy glass courtyard, to the ragged cold and harsh temperature outdoors. It was a stark difference to the inside of the castle, which was heated regularly, except in summer, when it got too hot to regulate the hot air. Outside was the usual night that greeted her with a chilly embrace that lifted the bottom of her nightgown, flicking her long hair to one side, actually allowing her to see more of her surroundings, since it was her hair's fault for her poor visibility. Outside was the docking area of the castle's reach of land. This is the area where the birds land, when their flyers are doing trade, like food or supplies. Much of the area was covered with a paint that was enchanted so that it glowed in the darkness of the night, leading the way for traders. Not too brightly though, just enough so that it was identifiable.

To get to the edge, she had to cling, grip, lean on the nearest _thing, _object that she could feel, just so that she wasn't bowled over by the wind. Stumbling, she fell and then crawled, gripping her hands around the edge of the land, where below was a long drop down, the land dark below. She felt her heart thumping rapidly against her rib cage, beating against the neon white pavement. The girl hadn't thought she would get this far. It was mainly the bathroom, she thought where she would get caught. Maybe the guards would've been smarter if she'd waited for a change in shifts. Maybe they hadn't thought she would have enough willpower to try to escape.

No matter. None of that, or anything would matter if she was caught. Her other option was dying, being born into a world that she would never remember, see, or even get to feel. An eternity of pain and torture. None of that would matter, if she were to escape. The only question that was in her mind now was along the lines of how to get down.

She wasn't afraid of heights. Something like that didn't bother her when there were other things to worry about, like if she was going to ever eat, or be talked to again. Or if those people who were exiting out of one of the outside doors were upset about the coldness of the night, or rather that she was the one to be their urgent problem. Whatever the reason, she had been spotted, and they were in fact making their way to her. Their feet were covered with thick steel boots. That was the reason why they, unlike her, were able to move easily on the open platform. But, they also acted as a weakness too. By wearing these heavy boots, their movements became slower.

So, she put it down to luck that they didn't catch her, when she rolled mindlessly off the edge, and into the open air, plummeting with speed down to the land below. Her hair shot upward, and her limbs were becoming cold as the ground came closer. It would only be a couple of seconds before she hit the ground. If she were to somehow land safely and manage to get a head-start for a few seconds, even minutes at the most, that would be an advantage in her hand. The ground was nearing. For the guards, servants, traders, whoever they were back up there, they wouldn't have jumped after her because of the weather. Their wings would just burden them, they would puff up like bed-sheets.

But, in this instance, she had no other choice. Hers may not work properly, but they were the only thing she had in her arsenal. No weapons or potions, no food supplies. Her body was _hers_ to use now. It was all she had. She felt the coursing pain with each pulse as she pulled the top pair out from the neck of her nightgown, and held the edges firmly. As expected, they collected air as she glided down, the backlash of pulling them out too late evident in her shoulder blades. Her landing wasn't the best either. Landing on two feet was a no-no for her, she knew that she'd break some bones if she went that way. With only a second till touchdown, she brought her knees to her chest and barrel rolled onto the trees, breaking branches until she felt the ground on her belly.

It smelled here too. And such a new smell. Spicy and rustic, her senses were entertained by this woodland area. The twigs bore into her knees as she surveyed her environment. No signs to suggest that she was being followed yet, which was a bonus in her mind. She took that moment tofold the fabric-like, scale lined attachments of her body back underneath her nightshirt. Then she ran as fast as she could.

Fitness like this was enduring. She hadn't done something like this since she was very young, at that age when her vision of the world was widening, taking in the details of the sakura trees. It was important for her to regulate her breathing, and to take dynamic steps, expending energy only for this purpose. The ground was uneven, and her feet kept falling down into tiny burrows, digging into snapped twigs or a puddle filled with unidentifiable liquid. She leaned slightly forward, to run faster.

Tiny moths passed her and she waved, batting them out of her hair and eyes. They were the type of grey that blended into itsfamiliar surroundings, flawlessly disappearing without a peep. She wished she was one of them. How lovely would that be right now. The echoing of her mouth inhaling and exhaling reverberated throughout the forest. Remaining here would be a bad idea. She needed to get away from here and to somewhere safe. Somewhere where they couldn't track her. She needed to make herself smell different. Then, they wouldn't be able to follow her. Yes, that sounds like a good plan.

Soon enough, the ground beneath her changed, and she found herself in an unfamiliar land that was well-kept and clean. The girl kept to the borderline of the trees, careful not to be seen. Judging by the land, people did live here.

They could see her.

They could inform the circle.

That was something she didn't want to happen. By now, surely, they must have found the door open, _her_ room empty. The body might have been found also, but she suspected that it would take longer. The stench of rotting flesh, open-ended, infected wounds would hint it out. The border of the trees echoed a land that housed an estate covered by night, glowing by candle light, the garden did. She should have known not to venture further, but the familiar scent was coming closer, and she had to hide. Or at least get away from here.

Her feet were starting to cool down on the new, strangely textured earth. She scaled the wall and went leg first over, landing on her bottom on the other side, on something pointy. At this time, she slowed down her breathing and closed her eyes, as she was surrounded by dead bushes, allowing herself to calm.

"_You._"

It came without warning, and caused her to flinch. The voice bared an aura that scared, _really_ scared her. If she were to stay, she'd end up like the body in the bathroom. She wanted to get out of this situation with her life. Alive. Mentally sane. Whatever alive was, she wanted it in her hands, with her forever. She could only hope that could be a possible outcome.

Her knees felt fragile, and she thought that they may have even been shaking when she stood. The voice, its owner, was on the other side of the courtyard. She could see the glow of blue on the window panels.

_He smelled of an Upper-class Demon._

"_That's it, come here."_

Her hands clenched and unfurled themselves on the inside of her sleeves as she stepped out of the bushes, facing the demon. Her throat was dry from the running.

The demon was of importance, judging from the way he carried himself, the way he _spoke._ Most of the bottom feeders barely spoke at all. He was sitting at what looked like an outside table, his hands resting on his lap. The scent was coming closer from behind. She bowed her head, hair in front, as a _hello. _What else could she offer? Herself? Not likely.

He seemed to be finishing what seemed like dinner. Did demons even _eat?_ She never was taught, but learned from eavesdropping. The demon _smiled_, baring short, sharp teeth, unlike her own, which were flat, except for a couple at the back. "_You look a little beaten. Look at all that blood! Have you been having fun?"_

Fun? What sort of fun was this? To survive, to kill, was that what fun was? The girl blinked in response, ducking her head.

"_Ah...show me your arms."_

She wanted to back away. She wanted desperately to just disappear and be free from this existence, never leaving a trace of herself in anyone's memories.

He outstretched his own arms, still sitting. "_Hurry up!"_

She flinched again and rolled up her sleeves. The blood, which was now dry from the wind, caked of in lumps, falling to her feet. She showed him the orange scars that resembled craters much like her own, beloved moon who was the only company she could keep. He touched them with his eyes. It didn't feel unusual or anything like that. They were just blemishes on her skin, proof of something far darker.

"_Had a hard life, haven't you?"_ he asked, smiling madly. She didn't want to anger the demon, so she nodded quietly, her mouth clamped shut. "_From these markings, I presume you are of possession?"_

Again, a nod.

"_Of course you are, you fae._" He let go of her arms and she recovered them. "_Open your mouth."_

No, she shook.

His eyebrow raised, the blue flames on his shoulders growing. "_"So they did cut off your tongue! How interesting! You know, nobody sees a lot of Fairies anymore. They act like they're dead, locked up in their castle in the sky. Ha, pests." _He stood and clamped his hands on her shoulders. "_But you look like you've been in a disagreement with them, aye?! _" He cackled. "_I could use a lass like you_."

She pushed away from him, stumbling back. He laughed loudly now and she gasped, spinning around to see the guards from the castle right behind her, purposely standing away from the demon. Something was up.

"Y-You, traitor!" The first armoured guard stuttered loudly, standing at the front of the pack. There were about eight or nine of them, all looking nervous. "You are to ret-t-turn to the palace for punishment! Killing an innocent man! Abandoning your duty! You have committed the ultimate crimes!"

The girl shook her head and planted her feet firmly where she was standing. They did not advance when she refused, but that had given the demon a chance to speak. Fair enough, since she assumed this was his land. She felt the vibes in the air, coursing through with such power and emotional value. _Their_ fear. _His_ anticipation. _Her_ own surviving will.

_"See that girl?! You're now wanted!" _When he pointed, both parties flinched at the demon's power. "_Entertain me! Show me, show me why you are wanted!"_

No choice but to fight. No choice but to attack. Being locked, alone, and left to wither will do things to a soul. You'll get bored. You'll sometimes find something to do. But mostly, you'll go insane from the loneliness, sentenced to die alone, knowing that you will.

To her, choosing to fight was the best gift she had been given. She chose to use it well.

The first guard that approached attacked her from the front, this was the fae that had spoken to them, unsheathing a sword. But before he could, she aimed one firm knee below his belt, and grabbed his hair, in massive clumps, smashing his face into the same knee. Another man swooped behind her and lifted his arm that held a mallet. On the same foot she was poised on, she swiveled and kicked him in the face, off his feet and into the air, unconsciously dropping that heavy mallet.

The battle paused when the six of them, the ones that were left, were contemplating between their lives and their duty. Contemplating was what got them killed within three seconds of each other. One may have had their throat or wings torn out/off, or they may have had their craniums crushed by the back of her foot. Things blurred as she moved, aiming her deadly intent at them. The will to survive will always outlast the will to do your duty to your king, or your greed for honesty. It's always the instinct that will get you through.

Death.

The smell was just as worse as it was in the bathroom. Her nose was ticklish and irritated because of it. She sniffed and wriggled her nose, trying to wipe the sensation away with the front of her nightgown. It was already dirty, so what was the use of trying to keep it any more clean?

"_Well done,_" he stated, slowly, but in a uniform time, clapping his hands. Or, that's what she thought. She could hardly see to start with because of her hair, but her vision had gone down due to the smell overpowering her sense of smell, which in turn, affected her sight. "_You like to fight, don't you?_"

That wasn't exactly true. Fighting for fun and fighting for your life were two very different experiences, if you were nit-picky enough to get past the similarities of the two. But, she couldn't just say _no_. (By saying, she didn't mean that she could out-rightly _speak it._) Going against a demon was a dangerous thing. Going against her own kind, even though she didn't particularly like or feel that she _belonged_ with them, sure, she could do that. Demons were dangerous and unpredictable, from what she had heard from the maid's gossiping exchanges.

He noted her reluctance, and sat back down, patting at the seat beside him. She paused, and then looked behind, seeing the bodies that were once Faes, possibly a father, uncle, hero, brother, a son or even a slave. _Or_, in a more politically correct term, _pieces_ of the Faes that were being _eaten_. Gobbled deliciously, by demons with hind legs and large, bulging eyes that had a third eyelid. Her stomach turned in its place.

"_It must have been so lonely." _The radiating blue demon said in a contemplating tone. She didn't mind him musing in his own thoughts, since she did it so often herself, but being out here made her uncomfortable. What if more Fairies came? What would she do then? He noticed this too. "_You probably don't have a name either, do you girl? Well, I do."_

She felt like punching him flat. So what if he had a name? Woopie.

"_Would you like one?"_

Her head shot up, disbelief filling her mind. Who was he to suggest such a thing, causing time to be paralyzed? Was he bluffing? What would he gain, in this windowpane gesture?

"_You do? I can tell by your face. Come sit, and I'll give you a name."_

Her mind remained blank as she took the seat next to him, on a bench, watching, _observing_ intently. The bodies were now gone, only leaving puddles of red, dying the earth. She blinked and cleared her throat.

"_My name is Satan, and I'm the King of Gehenna, this land. Faes__ haven't been on these lands in ages. They usually travel to Assiah for supplies, since they're scared shitless of demons attacking them."_

She bobbed her head, agreeing to the last point. She heard, she definitely knew of _this_ demon's existence. He was unspeakable around the Upper Circle, but the maidsstill liked to speak. Even his name alone was enough to make her knees clatter.

"_I know. Mumei. That's a good name."_

Her fingers twitched, and an uncontrollable smile formed on her lips, quivering. What a present, _what a gift!_ She was no longer a _thing_, or _it! _He, Satan, was speaking to her as if she existed, _like a real person!_The happiness of it all was almost too much. It didn't matter what it was, she now had a name, with deliciously curved ends, and lip moving sounds! It made her giddy to her feet. Her smile shone through her messy, knotted, blood-soaked hair.

_" I knew you'd like it." _He gestured to the bench she was on. _You must be exhausted. Go on, sleep. I'll watch over you. And when you wake, you can do a job for me. I'll know you'll love it. It's made just for you."_

Mumei did so and closed her eyes, using her hands as a pillow.

That night, she slept in bliss

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**~o0o~**

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***Looks around inconspicuously* **

**Sup!**

**Ehe, this is a new story that I've been working hard on instead of updating some of my other stories. It's only turned up this early thanks to a mistake. So I hope you like it. I'm relatively new to Ao no exorcist. Since they've started showing the whole season at the Anime Club at school, I've wanted to write a story on it!**

**Big thank you to _Day of Diana_ for BETA reading and re-reading the first chapter! I'd give her a hug, but unfortunatly, I can't. So I'll just say thank you and hand over a virtual cookie.**

**(::)**

**You can have one too.**

**Like I said, I hope you enjoyed it, because I'm looking forward to writing more about Mumei's adventure in Assiah. **

**Please review! **

**Thanks**

**- Verdigurl.**


	2. Chapter 2: Knowing

**Ao No Exorcist Fan fiction**

**Mumei**

**Chapter 2: Knowing**

**Warnings (Overall): Violence, blood.**

**[Written to: The Truth Beneath the Rose - Within Temptation]**

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**~o0o~**

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She didn't hear or see or even smell any signs of Faes near her when Mumei resided at the residence of the King Demon lord, Satan as he liked to call himself. Obviously, she thought of that as a good thing, possibly an advantage with a pointy edge. Good because they're keeping their distance, which made her happy. She didn't like being around the Faes. And bad because even if they did back off, and there was no doubt in her mind that they wouldn't consider attacking Satan's dwelling land, that gave them time to strategies and plan. Mumei knew that they wouldn't leave her alone till she was hung up rope around her neck, with a bag over her head. It was the way the circle worked. Enforcing power by inflicting punishment on others.

But inside his house, his domain, her mood was not hesitant and skeptic and judging. In this house, she felt safe, which was a feeling that rarely poked its head out of the crevices of her emotions. Her instincts were allowed to rest on the back benches of her mind, giving her time to figure things out. Everything was new. Once, she wished for this blessing and now, she had it, not knowing how to deal with it.

But they could wait. It seemed that the demon standing in front of her and Satan required her attention. Best to listen.

"Who's she?" He asked, in a dull way. His face didn't betray him of any emotions, so she assumed that he _really_ didn't care. At least, she sure hoped so. No unwanted attention, thank you.

"_Mumei_." Satan replied, leaning back on his table. "_She's my new favorite. She's going to do a job for me, since I can't do it myself._"

His eyebrow raised, the demon with a green flame that was conservative, that kept to itself. A stark contrast to Satan's, who she'd become familiar with his flame. Before the green flamed demon had entered the room, Satan explained to her about his situation. About his sons and about her _new-found_ job. Her purpose on this land. This was her life now.

"It seems unusually disappointing of you to choose a no-good _Fae_. I half expected you to slaughter her on the spot." He stopped glancing with glaringly big eyes and looked back at his father. "Why didn't you get one of us to do it?"

"_She has proven her worth. I've seen it with my own eyes, and I am happy with...her results. Slaughtering her own kind did nicely." _He hummed a laugh. "_And this isn't the type of job for any of you._"

The green flamed demon, _Amaimon_ she recalled, his fingers barely twitched. "But she's a fae!"

_"Who will do well."_ Satan finished, nodding his head. _"I'm sending her on a mission to Assiah to relay information about your baby brother._"

This time, he blinked rapidly and almost took a step back. "W-we have another brother?"

Mumei nodded and Amaimon shot her a nasty, bland look. She sighed quietly so that she wouldn't trouble anyone and looked at her covered feet. Satan had been kind enough to lend her new clothes and a nice, hot bath that felt like it had rid her of sins and insecurities. Three days. That was the longest amount of time she had ever spent _not_ feeling clean. It bugged her to the point of creepiness. _"He's currently in Assiah with his twin, who was rejected at birth. Because of that, his demon powers were given over to his brother, your brother Rin. I tried to make contact with him a while ago, but the bastard that raised him closed the gates and killed himself before I could get him."_ He slammed his fist on the table._ " He'd be the perfect vessel. I just need to get him ready, which is why Mumei is a valuable asset. It's well know that Faes can travel to and from Assiah with ease. Their bodies can adapt to the changes in environment, whereas demons bodies cannot."_

Amaimon looked Mumei over and she kept her eyes on the floor, only seeing glimpses of his torn jacket. "How do you know she won't betray you?"

_"She killed her own kind without a qualm or protest. She does it so fluently, it was like she was born for it."_ Satan laughed and Mumei lifted her head a fraction. She blinked, but for her, that was the equivalent of flinching. She wanted to flinch, she did, but the muscles in her face were fighting it. Flinching wasn't a good thing in this environment._ "You would've loved watching it. All of you would."_

"Would I now?" He asked, mainly to himself. "Girl, introduce yourself."

_How_, she wondered, blinking in response to is _demanding _question. Satan had already introduced her, so what was the point?

_"Do not make me repeat myself, Amaimon."_ Satan said slowly, drawing each curled vowel. What a stifling voice he had, she could feel her lungs close up. _"She can't talk, speak at all for that matter, but she'll follow your orders. Make sure you get her to Mephitso safely."_

"He knows about this?"

Satan leaned back, bellowing a firm laugh to emphasis the obviousness that was only clear to him, echoing from his belly. From what she had heard, Mephitso was one son that lived in Assiah and _liked it._ From what she had heard about Assiah, it was a world infested with oblivious humans that were occupied in their own little minds. They seemed to be _content. _Right now, Mumei would like to be content herself, because by doing so, she wouldn't know she would be.

And this Mephisto guy sounded intriguing. Who ever heard of a demon _happily_ living there?

_"I sent him a letter, stating my intentions and told him about Mumei. He accepted with interest and has allowed her entrance to his beloved human school, allowing her to get near Rin. She'll be a good spy."_ He cracked his neck. _"He promised not to rat her out to the circle, so she should be fine there."_

Amaimon sniffed, a green flame wriggling in the air, and he nodded casually. "Fine, I shall escort her to Assiah. Is there anything else you need to send to Mephisto?"

_"Ah, right. Your siblings are getting a little moody from finding out about me having another son, so you might want to give him a heads up. Don't want any of them making unexpected visits now, do we."_

"No." He replied quietly, and bobbed his head slightly, showing respect.

_"Now, Mumei."_ Satan pushed off the table and turned to her. "_Have you got everything?"_ A nod, short and firm. To the point. _"Good. Make sure you do a good job. Don't slip up, or your dead, ya hear? Failure ain't an option. You don't have anything to come back to once you pass through this gate, so go through with your back straight and head standing tall."_

Again, she nodded, and bowed deeply till her locks of clean hair were in a pile on the floor. Then, Mumei straightened back up and stood to the side, so that he could open the gate. A strenuous process, once his long, thin haired strands of flames unlocked an invisible door, opening a gate to Assiah. His flames inked into the floor below, where there was a circle of chalk, filled with ancient writing, that looked too human to be demonic. Her heart beat hard on her breastbone, and her pulse could be felt even at the souls of her feet. She took one, long breath, looked back at her master who had taken her in, given her food, and filled the empty place in her soul.

Then, she took Amaimon's hand and passed through the filtered air, as it changed from the scent that she'd come to know in such a short time, one that comforted her, to a smell of dirty, smog filled air. It annoyed her a little. She thought it smelled of the furnaces that remained underneath the castle. How could they manage something so unclean?

They both landed on what seemed like a roof-top, and Amaimon jolted to the side.

"Stay here." He ordered, motioning to the ground that they stood on. (Well, actually it was only her that was on the ground. He was more or less floating.) His voice began to dim. "I have to go find a temporary body, and find Mephisto. When I'm done, I'll come back."

She bobbed her head as he jumped off the side of the tall building, and as the green light from his flames disappeared into the night, she shivered. Assiah at first wasn't at all what she expected. The temperature was higher than she was usually used to, and all these lights in the dark seemed to remind her of that bloody, awful place. But what most disappointing was arriving here at night. She expected the day to be here, of course, the one thing she'd heard so much about.

Did you know the Fairies didn't always live in the dark, in the light of the moon?

Mumei sighed, and for a moment, choked on something that wasn't there. Her mind stopped processing these new smells, sounds and sights. With her bony, skinny fingers, she reached into her mouth and felt something slimy and warm that freaked her out momentarily. She shrieked and stumbled back, hitting the cold pavement.

Then, the shriek turned to a whimper, and the whimper morphed into tiny, giggles of happiness.

Happiness that wasn't there before. It was the type she hadn't felt in _years._

_What should I do?_ She pondered, smiling brighter that the fake lights. _What was that animal? That animal's hide that they dragged in from Assiah? What kind of sound did it make?_

"Me...mOooO" Her voice was cracked, and sounded off. It was at a high pitch, and quiet, and it felt like it was being funneled through a circular cone. "Moooo."

And what was she? Who was she?

"Maaaei...eee...Muumeeei. Mumei." She gave herself a firm nod of confidence. Now, how did people introduce themselves here? It had been so long, but she could still vaguely remember the days where she learned from her mother. She could still remember her soft, spider-like hair and big blue eyes. "My n...ame...My name is Muumeeei. My name is Mumei! Mumei!"

She giggled loudly and fell on her back, getting a beautiful view of the tiny flames in the sky, next to _her_ moon. _Stars._

_"_...rs!" She repeated. She knew the words, but they didn't come out of her mouth so easily as the will to live did. She would need more practice.

Mumei sat back up quickly when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. It was Amaimon, of course. Who else would it be? A ghost? No, if it was, they wouldn't have gone anywhere _near_ her. He had found a host, and it was an odd-looking host, but, she didn't point that out, in case he'd hit her. No reason to why he'd do that, but that's what she felt. Everything was a danger that must be watched. Even him. He had no reason to be empathetic towards her. She was a Fae, an enemy to demons.

"Get up." He said, and she did so, scrambling to her feet.

Amaimon coughed, and spat out some phlegm. All hosts needed to be _refurbished_, as Satan had told her. No body would even come to a demon perfect. It needed to be worked on, to be molded. This one was close, but it still had kinks.

"Can you fly?" He asked, and when she shook her head in a _no_ gesture, he sighed, annoyed. "You've got to be the _worst_ Fae _ever._" His face returned to normal, which was the _I'm-so-bored-of-you_ face. "Fine. You can hold onto me and I'll get you up there."

Mumei, who was vocally subdued to that suggestion, grabbed a hold of Amaimon anyway and held on with a tight grip. Why, why did she feel the need to fear? Him? Maybe, he was a son of Satan. That alone was something to fear.

She was sure the humans would tremble.

When they landed on a high beam of what looked like a search tower, she let go of Amaimon and stepped behind him. The man, or rather demon, that was standing on the other side of the beam was looking out into the sea of false lights. Mainly, what she could feel from her position was the vibe of _weirdness. _From the cloth that he wore to how he drank that tea that smelled _rotten._ He was the essence of weird. She guessed he was Mephisto.

"Sorry I'm late." Amaimon said.

"Long time, no see Earth king Amaimon." Mephisto placed down the _tea_and looked over at them, his eyes trailing over the small form behind his. With long wild hair and piercing eyes, she looked like the definition of a wild ghoul. He already knew that she wasn't, but it was the way she eyed things, the way she stood that reminded him of that created that line of thought. "And the lil' lady behind you. Mumei, right?"

When Amaimon gave her the go-ahead, she nodded, her eyes automatically falling to her feet out of habit.

"How's Gehenna?" He asked, the wind blowing his cape.

"Everyone's absolutely livid. If we didn't get the news of Satan's offspring being in Assiah..."

Mephisto nodded. "I see...then tell our siblings who are going mad with envy that our youngest brother is being raised under my wing. Everything's going well. Also, tell Satan that I'll look after Mumei well."

"Understood." He stood there for a few moments, and when he didn't move, Mephisto closed his eyes. Maybe it was annoyance? Or was it intrigue?

"What is it, do you have something else to say?"

"No, I was just wondering when you'll be returning to Gehenna."

Mephisto didn't look at him, nor did he bat a single eyelash. "Go. Don't make our impatient siblings wait."

"Yes." Amaimon stepped forward and dispersed off into the night, leaving no traces behind. Mephisto took another sip of tea and smiled. "I don't plan to return. For a hell-raiser like me there's no better playground than this. The fun and games start here!" He gestured to the city of lights, and Mumei nodded, agreeing.

_Yes,_ She wanted to say. _I agree._

He finished his tea, and it disappeared into thin air, when he faced her. "Well, Mumei, should we get out of the wind? The portal probably had an effect on your body, most likely causing fatigue and hunger."

She nodded, and when he held out his hand for her to grab, she cured her fingers and closed her eyes, seeing nothing but the night.

She wished it would end soon.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

There were differences between Assiah and Gehenna that were obvious to her, as Mumei sat in the dimly lit room, on a bed that was fitted with a homemade patchwork quilt. It was probably made by someone for another who they loved, but now, the patterns were faded browns and pinks. The room smelt musty. It probably hadn't been used in years. Dust sat on the edges of the window-frame and jumped into the air, silently dancing back down, twirling, curling, spinning madly.

Mephisto had allowed her to occupy this room for the meantime, while he arranged another room somewhere, in a place he called the school. Seldom did she need to eat, or sleep, but before she was led here, she ate a lengthy mean, full or carbs and a weird red fruit that Mephisto assured was safe and delicious. It was alright. Sweet, but alright. It would be another week before she would need to eat again.

That night, she sat at the desk on the other side of the room, with a chair that faced a wall with a crème wallpaper and practiced her vowels and consonants, one after the other.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

"This way Mumei! This way!

It had only occurred to her now just _how_ different Mephisto was. She'd only ever known the ways of the Faes, and even _they_ felt like some foreign culture immersed in traditions and dealings made _under the table._ But while theirs are a dirty, selfish feeling atmosphere, Mephisto's character was much like a large, happy person that took an interest in _everything_ he laid his eyes on. Or, at least, that was her impression of him.

He had threatened her earlier, if she tried to harm one of his students, his _beloved students,_ to put it in Satan's words. She nodded and resisted the urge to shrug, looking out the open window, while he organised the room she stayed in that night. What would she gain from that It would only jeopardize her safety, something that was important to her.

Now, they were outside, _in the daylight, _walking on a rather large bridge. She had never expected the daytime to be this bright, but what annoyed her the most was that she never _remembered _this brightness. After spending most of her life in the dark, her eyes couldn't adjust fast enough. So, for now, Mephisto had given her a pair of sunglasses, _plum_ coloured, he said. Whatever that was.

It was weird, to wear covered shoes, and skirts _this short._ So much skin was showing, and Mumei felt uncomfortable because of it. The only nice thing, in her mind, that she was wearing was a long-sleeved jumper that covered her arms. Once they arrived at the end of the bridge, to where an area filled with trees were, they stopped, and Mephisto turned on the ball of his foot, flashing her a white grin.

"Now _Mumei~" _The way he said her name crept her out a little. "You wait here. I promise I'll be right back, okay~?"

She tried to smile back, but that made her cheeks sore, so she nodded and stared at the area covering her feet. Mephisto disappeared up the steps, a pathway that was leading to what looked like a house that had some residence currently occupying it. Ones that loved to be near nature. This wasn't something that was needed to please her tastes. All she needed was a bed and food. A simple taste. An _acquired _taste.

The wind howled and she leaned against the barrier, staring up at the sky. Mumei had never ever seen the sky is such a vision of blue. It was bright, and warm, and unlike the walls back in _that_ room in _that_ castle, it was comfortingly entrancing. She closed her eyes, and smiled.

Mephisto had tried to tame her hair, with no luck. He wanted to tie it up with a pretty ribbon he'd brought _especially for her_, but he wasn't even able to put a brush through it. All he _could_ do to facilitate the girl was to give her a headband, one with a little bow on the side, to pin the hair back from her face. It felt odd to feel the sun.

She didn't know how long he had been in that little cottage shop, but her legs began to tire from standing, so she sat upon the wide, flat part of the ledge, her arms bent behind, supporting her weight.

"AAAAGGHHHH! COME ON YUKIO!"

His voice had startled her. The abruptness of his loud, _almost _threatening voice caused her right arm to buckle and she fell from the ledge, to the ground, landing on her back, limbs spread out wide. Her glasses flew off and landed a few feet away.

She hadn't heard them approaching before, but now she could clearly hear the thumping of quick advancing footsteps coming in her direction. She groaned and and sat up, rubbing the back of her head where it hit the ground.

There were three of them, and they smelt of humans. There were two boys, and a female, looking rather upset. Well, actually, one of the boys looked rather miffed with the other, his glaring blue eyes sending invisible daggers in his direction. The girl bent down, and offered her a hand. She spoke softly, although her voice pitched in places, evident of the lack of use. "A-Are y-you okay?!"

Mumei took it and stood to her feet, brushing the skirt she wore, brushing away the specks of dirt and gravel. She didn't make eye contact with them, but instead, looked at the ground. Her eyes were unprotected now, and if she was wearing those sunglasses, she might have been able to face them directly, but without them, she felt like her legs, bare and naked for all the world to see. They were in the hands of the boy in the coat, since she could only see the bottom half of his body.

She backed away and nodded, her hands folding into each other. Mumei opened her mouth, but no words came out. It was harder to connect with humans than she had previously imagined. They too seemed to act like the fae.

"Are you sure?" 'Coat-boy' asked, concern lacing his voice.

The boy next to him continued to shout. "What do you think Yukio?!"

"R-Rin..."

Then, another pair of footsteps were heard, along with the crumpling of a plastic bag banging against a leg. Mumei looked up, and when she saw Mephisto, she ran behind him, using him as a shield. Or a hiding place. It depended on how you perceive this action.

"M-Mephisto!" The blue haired boy, now known as Rin, shouted in surprisment_. _She felt, and smelt, the presence of demon around him. Her eyes thinned into small gaps, eyeing the boy carefully. "What are you doing here?!"

Mephisto shrugged, gesturing to the plastic bag. "Oh, you know, just shopping here and there...oh right!" He handed the bag to Mumei, who took it and held the bag close to her chest. "This is all for you, my dear." He then scratched his nose, throwing back a question of his own. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"We are here to pick up supplies."

"We're here to get Shiemi back home, yea!"

Rin glared at the other boy, and Yukio, just smiled back, as if this was the norm for them. Shiemi, the blond girl with the weird robes on, she spoke up, almost forcing her voice to shout loudly, but unlike Rin, her voice wasn't made for that level of loudness. She would have to strain hers to get to that kind of loud. "M-My name is Shiemi! It's very nice to m-meet you Mumei!"

Her grip on Mephisto's cape tightened, and she buried her face into the cloth. Rin took this action as an offence, while Mephito chuckled, patting the girl's head. "Now, now Okumura, calm down~. Mumei's a shy girl and finds it hard to talk, so you'll have to forgive her."

Rin crossed his arms and t'ched. Yukio walked over to the duo and reached out his hand for her to shake. She did so and quickly slipped her hand back, nervous at the contact. He smiled and introduced himself, along with his brother, the demon-smelling human named Rin. Yukio handed back the sunglasses. "Here you go."

She put them back on, feeling a little better. "...ou.."

"Pardon?" Rin said, barely hearing her whisper. "What did you say!"

She puffed, wishing her voice could project more. As she spoke, she mumbled. "Thank you."

Hearing this from the quiet girl, he immediately smiled, small specks of pink appearing on his cheeks. Apparently, that was all it took to cheer him up. "Aha! Don't sweat it! I'm Okumura Rin, aye! Sorry for scaring you!"

She left them alone after that.

He was strange.

Eccentric.

Blatantly upfront, in a dazed way, not knowing of some things.

He was interesting.

And he smelt like Satan.

It had to be him.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

**Hello again!**

**My, my! I'm delighted right now. I don't think I said this in the last chapter, but this is my first time trying to write completely in third-person-perspective so I hope you'll like it because this is the story I'm workin' real hard on! *Missed out on an episode of ANE at anime club because the data projector broke* TnT**

**Replies:**

**Awesomeasian123: Thank you meh brother! *hugs computer screen* I'm glad they make you ha-ha-happy!**

**mittensx7768: *Takes off invisible Fedora* Why thank you, my good sir. You are awesome as well. *Brofist***

**Also, a big thank you to the faves: Chloroplasm and mittens7768**

**And to the followers!: Gravitypush, Chloroplasm and mittens7768**

***Bows***

**Okie dokie, till next time!**

**-Verdigurl**


	3. Chapter 3: Adapt

**Ao No Exorcist Fan fiction**

**Mumei**

**Chapter 3: Adapt**

**Warnings (Overall): Violence, blood.**

**[Written to Dark Chest of Wonders - Nightwish]**

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

Biological antidotes. Multivitamins. Aloe Vera gel. Diazepam pills. Witches hazel. Black seed oil. Material bandages. Rations of dehydrated food. What was also in the bag, ironically to Mumei, the Devil's claw. The leaves were encased in an orange-tinged punnet, sealed with table, that had all these unidentifiable words. Mumbo-jumbo basically.

Half of these she didn't even know how to use. Of course, they probably would come in handy. After all, Mephisto brought them, and if they were of little use to her, why would he buy them in the fist place? Thus, she would use them wisely and sparingly.

Mumei took half a pill of the multivitamins and two of the Diazepam pills. Then, she grabbed the bag that was hanging awkwardly off the side of the bed, and entered into the hallway, locking the door behind her.

Outside, Mephisto was already waiting for her.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

"I can see you've made good use of the materials I've brought you, _Mumei~_" Mephisto was using _that_ tone again, making reference to the bandages that were layering Mumei's arms, all the way, right up to her blouse sleeves. Today, she had felt that the weather wouldn't be in her favor if she were to wear that _awful_ jersey Mephisto had also purchased for her. He'd brought her a whole new wardrobe as well, along with schoolbooks and other day-to-day utensils.

She felt like he was treating her like a doll. It turns out, they have them in Assiah, too.

She ran her fingers over the material, checking if there were any gaps in the bandages. There weren't, and so some of her nervousness simmered down. Mephisto had decided to turn to turn himself into a dog today, but that wasn't any surprise to her. No-matter how little or meaningless something was, the things that lived in Gehenna all had at least _some_ sort of power. Even Mumei did.

Mumei nodded, swinging the bag that was in her other hand. They were walking down one of the hallways that was located in the exorcist part of the school. Only for today, Mephisto agreed to walk her to her exorcist class, but only for that day. From then on, she'd be left to her own wits. Wasn't too bad. It wasn't unusual, so for her, it wasn't the worst thing that could happen.

There are a lot more fates, far worse than being left alone.

Her head bobbed upwards, to the sound of a voice.

_What's going on up there?_ She wondered, heading in that direction.

Then, she frowned, pausing in her step. Why should she be concerned with whatever was happening up there? All she really should be doing is to head directly to her first class, with that Okumura Yukio guy. This was going to be a _long_ task. Didn't matter. She had all the time in the world.

"Why'd you stop?" Mephisto asked.

That girl from yesterday, the blushing blond. She was making a sort of moaning sound. That may be because she _may_ have just fallen over, but hey, she wasn't her problem. To take care of Bocchama. That was all. Her books were all over the ground, and a couple of girls who were wearing the same uniform as she, Mumei, was walking away without even glancing. It was pitiful.

Maybe that was why she helped her. Faes didn't like greed or mean people, although there were exceptions in the population, if you looked at the circle. While the girl - Shiemi, she recalled -, was rolling on the floor, trying to get herself untangled from her clothes, Mumei collected her books and placed them back into her bag.

"What's going on here?" Mumei glanced upwards to see _him_, Rin. Bocchama. He was standing over the two, dazed. "Oh, Shiemi! Did you fall over?"

She grabbed the bag and quickly walked away to the classroom, not uttering a word to Bocchama. In her head, Mumei t'ched. _How rude..._

"Mumei! Mephisto!" He was looking down at the dog, with surprised eyes. "W-What are you guys doing here?!"

"Mumei's going to be in your class now." He said, and she almost wanted to roll her eyes. "Wasn't that obvious? I did say that yesterday, _Rin~ _Don't tell me you're getting old!"

He blushed, his teeth gritted. "S-Shut it!"

Mephisto didn't actually care whether Rin yelled at him or not. His little brother wasn't going to scare him, that's for sure. "Come on!" He said to the girl, who obediently followed. "The class is just this way!"

They began to walk off without Rin, but he noticed before they got too far. "W-Wait!"

"For what? We're not the ones who are going to be late."

"W-WAIT!"

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

And wait she did. Mumei patiently stood outside the door while the teacher, Okumura was taking the role. Mephisto had disappeared again to somewhere. Whereabouts was a mystery. He was a strange guy and Mumei was happy _not_ trying to find out why.

The door opened, and the boy named Yukio stuck his head out. "Alright, you can come in now."

She nodded and followed him in, all the student's eyes falling upon her as their voices hushed, concentration intensifying. So many of them were looking, analyzing her with beady eyes, poking, prodding and generally, it annoyed her. She wanted to yell at them. She wanted to kick them. But after being silent for so many years, Mumei learned how to keep these feelings bottled, until they were eventually no more.

"Listen up! This is Mumei, the new transfer student." He gestured to her.

_What was I supposed to do?_ Then, Mumei remembered and bowed, talking very quietly, as usual. "H-Hello...nice to meet you..."

They didn't react the way she thought they would. She expected them to ogle at her, judge her right on the spot. And perhaps they did. Who knows, she couldn't read minds. She could read faces, but all of them looked rather _anxious, _making her guess that they knew something was coming. Something they were dreading.

Yukio nodded, facing the class again. "Alright. Now..."

"Oh oh! Sit here!" Shiemi immediately and pointed to the desk behind her. Rin was sitting on the other side of the room, along with the rest of the class, scattered around the place. Shady and odd characters at the back. Up-nosed faces at the front. The other day, the two seemed to be close, but now she wasn't talking at all. Did they have a fight? No matter. They would be fine soon, she determined. In her mind, sitting there would probably be the best option.

She glanced at Yukio with pleading eyes and he sighed, giving in. Quietly, she thanked him and took her seat there, right behind Shiemi. She smiled at her, and then turned back, as Yukio stood at the front of the class, with a wad of paper in his hands. Mumei assumed they were important, since everybody in the room who was sitting behind a desk was eyeing them.

"Good. Now, on to the next thing. We only have six weeks until the summer break." She sat there idly. This was a new experience. It was certainly starting to be a _boring_ one. "Before that you will have your Exwire Authorization exam. Mumei, is it alright for you to be taking it this soon?"

She nodded, even though she had no idea what he was blabbing on about.

He nodded too, happily. His glasses were gleaming, and all she could focus on was his eyes. They were the same colour as Bocchama. They must be related then. "If you become Exwires, you will have more practical training, so the exam will not be easy." He looked around at the students. "Therefore, we will be going on a week-long training next week."

"Training camp?" Rin asked.

He started to hand out the sheets, and he continued talking. "It's not compulsory so please mark your attendance, and what field you want to advance in as your Meister on this form. You have until Monday to hand it in."

_Monday, huh?_ She took the paper from him and read it through. She couldn't read it, couldn't understand much of what it spelled out, but she got the drift of it. Just sign your name at the bottom line, and you're all good.

She tapped the back of Shiemi's clothing. "...ey..."

Shiemi turned. "Yeah, what is it Mumei?"

Mumei smiled, trying to not show weakness at not knowing stuff. She tapped the paper, and Shiemi _'oh'_-ed, blushing. "Do you want me to explain the Meisters?!"

"Yes."

Shiemi turned in her seat, to face her. "Well...Oh, I know where to start! F-First, there are five types of M-Meisters. There's the Knights, who fight with swords. The Dragoons, they fight with b-basically any type of gun." Her voice started to drift off, her face blushing, hands crumpling the pink cloth she wore. Mumei nodded and urged her to go on. "Uh, there's the Aria's who recite verses and the doctors, who fix people." She looked at her hands, and then raised her head, remembering something. "Oh, and there's the Tamers! They use demons...I'd find that a bit scary..."

Mumei took all of that information in, and made a decision. "Tamer."

"You want to be a Tamer? Are you sure?"

Well, it was a no-brainer. She could understand them perfectly, so why not? But it might also be useful to add another to the list, like maybe knight? It'd be good to keep a weapon with her. Maybe she could use the sap...

She put them both down, along with her name in the neatest writing she could muster. It looked _horrible._

"You know, I didn't notice it the other day," Shiemi was staring past Mumei's face. "Your hair's very long!" She touched it. "Ara! It's so soft!"

Mumei shrugged. It had always been that way. She saw no need to change it now. Today, it was in a side plait that reached to her knees. It was out of her face also, but Mephisto had suggested that it should be. Mumei noted how Shiemi was staring of at Bocchama, thinking. If she raised one hand against him, she would kil her, no doubt. Mumei didn't care if Mephisto _did_ come after her. But that was her job, to keep him safe, and she would do as such.

The bell rung, signalling the next class.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

The man drew chalk drawings on the classroom floor, the man with one eye. She didn't like the discreet vibes she was getting from him, but it wasn't advisable at this time to comment on it. Mumei took her place beside Shiemi, who was standing by Rin, and watched the man carefully. She stood there because she wanted for Bocchama to _know_ she was there, but it was important for her to have her distance. He would get suspicious, if she stalked him everywhere.

Quiet now. Class had begun.

Today they were learning about demons and Tamers. These were things she was comfortable with. The man spoke in a rugged voice. "I will now summon a demon."

Bocchama looked at the circle in awe, and was about to step on it, when the man snapped at him. "Don't step on it. If the magic circle is stepped on, it loses its effect." He started to unravel the bandages on his hands, revealing fresh wounds, that made her twitch at the smell. "You need blood and the appropriate chant to summon a demon. _Son of Typhoeus and Echidna, heed my call!"_

Mist begun to surface out of the circle, along with a dark, moving blob in the middle. It was similar to one of the gates used when Satan had to travel somewhere, when she was learning from him. Her head snapped back and her hand shot up to her nose. The rest of the class followed suit a second later. It stunk of a substance pointed out by that orange haired boy, but to her, it smelled of the liquid used to heal wounds that the Faes mixed with other medicinal herbs from both Assiah and Gehenna.

It was a medium, a bit of the small side, demon with lumps sticking out of its body. It looked like the patchwork quilt on her bed, and it grumbled. It's speaking. Not in full sentences, but quietly, to itself. Again, she twitched. "...grant...summons...blood _meat."_

"There are very few people who can summon demons and use them as familiars." His hand was hovering above the hound-like demon. That's the only reason it didn't move. "A strong will is necessary to tame a demon. This can't be learned. You need to have talent." Swiftly and without causing attention to himself, he looked at Bocchama again. He was growing on her nerves. "And now, we will see if you have that talent."

A piece of paper with inscriptions scribbled on the front was passed out, and Mumei took one. A girl across the room pricked her finger and called out two fox demons. The girl beside Mumei, Shiemi managed to send for a tiny, and quite adorable Mumei had to admit, green man spirit that spoke nonsense as well, but it was light-hearted and of a good nature. It took an immediate liking to Shiemi.

During the time that Shiemi tried to talk to the girl across the room, Mumei looked at her own paper. All she had to do was put blood on it, and a demon _might_ come? Yeah, it could, but then what would happen? Heck knows if it would listen to a Fae.

She bit her thumb without any emotion of pain and swiped it across the paper.

What should she say?

Then, she felt a presence on her back, and turned her head to see a large spider sitting there, climbing up to her shoulder. Some of the girls in the class shrieked, and the guys grimaced, but Mumei hid her happiness. It was black, a dark, night black that had red orb-like circles on its abdomen. _Her_ abdomen. She spoke in a light, titty voice, like a human woman would, articulate and witty with her words. "_Hello, little Fae. How unusual for one of your position to be in a room of exorcists_."

She raised her eyebrow discreetly, but spoke nothing. The man, who had spoken to all the student who had successfully managed to call a demon, confronted her, with interest. "A black widow spirit...how _unusual._ When I first entered the room, you looked so small and shy that I didn't expect you to have the will to call one."

"_How rude."_ The spider said. "_Mind you, most humans are. They squish us, trample us,_ _drown us! I want to do the exact thing back to them! I'm Lucinda, by the way. Born of Jushia and Mevalo._"

Mumei took that in, and made a point to summon her again for a talk, when she would return to her room. The teacher nodded in his thought. "Good job."

"Creepy." The purple haired girl nodded, whispering, screwing her nose up, to the other brown haired girl, who was looking anxious and green. "As if she wasn't weird enough."

"_Kill her later.__" _Lucinda muttered, swaying.

"Tamers who can fight using summoned demons are rare and highly valued among exorcists. Demons never obey someone weaker than themselves." He noted to everyone in the room. "On contrary, they attack those who have lost their confidence."

Her eyes flickered to Lucinda and in a whisper, barely above silence, she spoke. "You wouldn't hurt me?"

"_No. Believe it or not, Faes are friends of spiders."_

"As I told you before, if stepped on, the magic circle is broken and it loses it's beneficial properties, causing the summon to disappear." He was adjusting his bandages. "So if you feel yourself in danger, just tear the paper apart."

Mumei gestured to it, and when Lucinda gave the go-ahead, she ripped it, and the lady-spider disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Today's class is over." And then, he walked out of the room for lunch.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

Mumei twitched in annoyance as the purple haired girl took advantage of Shiemi, supposedly becoming her _friend_ and carrying her bag, _as a friend would._ Not that Mumei knew what it was like to have these _friends_ but she survived sixteen years without them, so she was sure she didn't need them now.

Bocchama looked pretty pissed, in a polite way. "Looks like Shiemi became the followers of Miss Eyebrows."

"Miss Eyebrows?"

The orange haired boy chuckled. "I guess that's Kamichi's new name."

"But she's so snooty!" Rin yelled, almost catching the girls attention. Rin grabbed Mumei in a headlock. "Yeah! Mumei agrees!"

_Please let go._

The tallest boy, the one with two hair colour shook his head. "She hasn't been here for even a day, and Kamichi's probably pissed her off too!" His eyebrow rose, realizing what he was seeing." And anyway, how do you two know each-other!?"

"We met a while ago when Mephisto was showing her around!"

_Why are they talking to me? _She wondered, raising an eyebrow of her own, as if to say 'I'm Ms Creepy-and-wierd.'

"Nah, Kamichi's just snooty to everyone. Nobody likes her." Both the shaved headed boy and one with the goofy grin smiled.

Rin pulled her hand. "Hey! Have lunch with us!"

And just like all of the things in her life, she didn't have a opinion in this choice.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

Days went past, like they had done usually. Every day Mumei found something new in this world to poke at. Like the way Shiemi had been acting for the past couple of days with Kamichi.

Obeying everything like a pawn, innocently complying.

This was the circle all over again.

Then, Monday came and Mumei walked by herself to the boy's dorm at the west side of the school, where Bocchama and his twin were housed. It looked old, and nearly not good enough for Bocchama.

"What's this?" Bon asked, looking around at the place. "It looks like a haunted hotel!"

"I don't like it." Kamichi whined. "It feels creepy. Couldn't we have gone somewhere nicer?" She held out her bag to Shiemi. "Take this."

_Hold it yourself, you whining flesh-walker._ Mumei thought, becoming annoyed at her presence, and wondering if she should ask Lucinda to scare her. _That would be nice. _

Bocchama and Yukio were waiting outside the dorm.

"What do you think of it Mumei?" Shiemi asked, carrying Kamichi's bag willingly. "Does this place scare you? It does to me a little."

Mumei shrugged. She considered the places she had been and compared it to them. "It's not bad."

The brown haired girl, Paku, seemed upset. She was politer than Kamichi, which was nice. "Moriyama, if you don't tell her that you mind..."

"Huh?" She looked at the bag in her hands. "But I don't mind..." She smiled widely. "I'm helping a friend."

Paku sighed quietly. "Uh..."

Mumei pulled Shiemi's hand, leading her in. There was no point in her being out here in the sun. Mumei liked the sun, but she would have liked to get through this quickly. Being in a room with that many people made her quite uncomfortable.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

They were placed in a room, that differed from her dorm room. Where hers had white walls and wide, with windows that had grey curtains hanging from the room, this one had bamboo floors. It felt earthy, and Mumei winced, thinking of the plants wasted.

They had an hour to write. It had become clear to her that writing was _less than nice_ to look at, so she concentrated really hard on making the letters legible. When time was up, she only got halfway through the paper, and out of what probably was embarrassment more than anything, she turned it over, not wanting to look at her handwriting anymore.

"Put your pens down. Turn your papers over and pass them here!"

She sighed and sifted in her sitting position. She was placed between Kamichi and the odd fellow with a pink material creature on his hand. She didn't know what it could be called. She hoped that it wasn't a dangerous animal.

"Finally, it's over..."

"It was so long..."

"Yay!"

Shiemi looked over at the dark-haired girl who was sitting across from her. She'd been kind, right from the start. Mumei was kind and quiet. Shiemi defiantly wanted her to be her friend. She smiled quietly at her, but Mumei's face was kept solemn, as if she didn't see her.

"I'm going outside to enjoy the night wind a bit." Bocchama said, swaying as he stood to leave the room.

_He must be exhausted, _Mumei mused.

"Go cool down." Yukio said, sitting on a bench in the room, where a mattress was meant to be. "Tomorrow we're waking up at six. We'll have a short quiz covered by this test."

Before leaving the room, Bocchama muttered. "Man, he's really a demon."

Mumei chuckled silently.

Kamichi stood up. "Paku, let's go have a bath."

Paku nodded, and when Shiemi heard that they were going to the baths, she defiantly wanted to go too. She slammed the test papers down. "M-Me too!"

"What about you Mumei?" Paku asked politely, to her. "Do you want to come?"

Mumei shook her head.

"I hope the baths are warm..." Paku mused, and their voices began to float off, until she couldn't hear them any more.

She needed something to drink.

Shima leaned back on his arms, his eyes following after the girls out of the room. "Heh, the girls' bathtime! I get the feeling we'll have to go and take a little peak..."

"Shima! You're a monk!"

"Those bad habits again..."

He grinned at his two friends. "Look who's taking! Admit you two are just as interested!"

Yukio pushed his glasses up his node. "Try not to forget that there is a teacher and another female student in the room."

Awkwardness filled the air and stunned everyone's voices, as they slowly looked at the girl, who was getting her drink bottle form the bag she had brought. She took a sip and looked back at them with a bored face. Their dirty thoughts had no effect on her. "I don't care."

"You don't care?" Shima asked, slinking over to her, a gleam in his eye.

Her eyes thinned, and the urge to hit him rose up in her. "It's none of my business, so I don't care what you do or think."

He winced. "Oooo, that's cold Mumei~ Look out guys!" He pretended to cry and turned back to Bon and Konekomaru. "It's the quiet one's you've got to be smart about!"

She rolled her eyes and sat down at the table. Humans were so infuriating.

"Well, what are _you_ talking about, Okumura? You're a freshman too!" He gave a light pat on the shoulder, causing his glasses to slip. "You don't have to act."

"I prefer not to embark on reckless adventures." He replied, giving the red-head a cold shoulder, causing Shima to admit defeat this time.

Mumei looked off into the night, feeling a shiver. Humans were so rowdy too.

Not quiet like the castle.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

She left the boys group after a while. She enjoyed their company, but there was the time that she liked to herself. And in this silence, she wandered the hallways aimlessly, until she fell upon this situation.

_What are they doing?_

Bocchama had Shiemi by the neck of her clothes. Was he holding her back? Was he trying to _attack _her?"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKK!"

Everyone's heads snapped up at the sound of a females scream that ripped through the hallways and ruined Mumei's peace. Shiemi looked up and gasped. "That's Kamichi and Paku!"

Bocchama's grasp on her loosened, and then he ran down the hall, shouting "You go and get Yukio!"

Mumei ran after him, leaving Shiemi behind. She purposely kept a distance behind, for her protection if something were to attack. They ran for a few minutes, and Mumei lost sight of Rin once he had entered the baths door. She picked up her speed and once she saw that demon on top of Bocchama, strangling the air, his life out of him, she gritted her teeth and aimed a very violent, flying kick at one of its heads. It flinched and rolled over, taking Rin with him. It. Whatever.

Paku was down. Shiemi had come in after her, and was now trying to treat her burning wounds.

The demon looked at her, sniffing. _"You'd be nice to eat."_

Mumei frowned and pulled out the piece of paper she was given earlier, thinking that the demon had a lot in common with her patchwork quilt. She opened the closing wound on her thumb and bleed onto the paper, calling Lucinda.

The female arachnid appeared quickly, more than half a second later. She docked her tiny head, and hissed almost cat-like at the demon at hand. "_Oh! What a big boy!"_

"Help him." Mumei whispered. "Help me distract him."

The spider obliged and when she jumped, broke off into several, tiny spiders that landed on the demon, biting venomously into its flesh, into its bloodstream. The demon howled, let go of Bocchama and tried to smack the spiders away. That's when Mumei dashed forward, aiming to get the sword on the ground when...

"Brother!"

_BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!_

"I won't let you get away!" Yukio yelled, reloading. In the time that he did, Mumei shot towards it and kicked it harder this time, the demon flying back into the wall, cracking the tiled-paved, concrete walls. It howled and climbed upwards, escaping the torrent of bullets.

_BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Yukio breathed in heavily, relieved. "Rin, Mumei, are you okay?"

"You're late!" Rin yelled.

Mumei then flinched and fell to one knee, holding her left ankle. Rin gasped, seeing his savior falling. "M-Mumei!"

Yukio examined her ankle. "She's been burnt on her foot from a spirit wound, probably when you kicked it."

Bon, who arrived with the rest of the class, was shocked at the small, quiet girl. Did she really _kick_ a demon? Who'd be stupid enough to do something like that?

As if she'd heard his thoughts, she gave him a look that _made_ him shut up even before he started to speak. Her foot hurt, darn it, and she wasn't about to be told off for doing her job. But from this attack, her thoughts were firing. She had done a bad job.

Shiemi started to put Aloe on her foot, and she thought, trying to walk back to the room.

_I need to get stronger. I'm not good enough._

"Eh? Mumei, are you listening?"

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

She slept in the dorm rooms, with the girls.

Everyone was quiet.

Kamichi had cried herself to sleep.

Shiemi slept by her side.

And there was an empty one, on the other side of Kamichi.

It felt weird to sleep at night.

Several times she woke up, from a running dream, a constant one, to only find that she was still here. Her foot stung now and then, but it healed fast, as usual.

The next morning, Mumei woke earlier than she had originally thought she would. Shiemi dug her head deeper into her pillow, mumbling Just from that, Mumei smiled silently. The girl was fragile, something that could easily be crushed by her hands. She was also had a small body, something that could held in her own two arms. Something living like that almost made her feel awkward, almost uncomfortable. If she did that, her stomach would turn inside, and her face would flush a deep red that wasn't there before. A fluttering feeling, like Fae wing.

_What is this feeling?_ She wondered, reaching over to brush the hair off of Shiemi's face. _Is this an emotion?_

Slowly, Shiemi's eyes batted open, ad Mumei pulled her hand away quickly, shoving it back under the warm covers. Shiemi smiled sleepily, adjusting her position, and eventually sitting up. "G-Good Morning Mumei..."

"Good Morning." Flustered, she replied, trying to not make eye contact. She smiled and brushed the knots out of her hair, then got dressed. Shiemi was having trouble waking up, and Mumei took that time to grab some material bandages from her bag and go into the bathroom. She locked the door behind her, hearing her heart thump hard, and undid yesterdays bandages. Her scars had leaked a little, a dis-coloured, yellow ooze staining the material. She sighed and re-wrapped her arms. Mumei then left the bathroom, and found Shiemi waiting for her, her eyes on the used bandages.

Her lips were frowning, as were her eyebrows. "Mumei, why are your arms bandaged?"

She threw them in the bin, deciding not to answer. Shiemi grabbed her hands, her eyes pleading. "A-Are you in pain?!"

"No." She said simply, closing her eyes, lying with a smile. "They're old spirit wounds from long ago. You don't need to worry. I'm fine."

Shiemi sighed in relief, a weight lifting off her body. "T-Thank goodness..."

_I hate you,_ she thought, and then stopped. _No, I don't. I don't know what to feel anymore._

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

**Bonjourno. Sup. Hello. I'm in a head banging mood at the moment and I have a pile of assignments on my desk that I've blatantly been ignoring, but soon I shall have to do them before they get out of hand, so I'll make this author thingy quick. I've never been much of a talker anyway.**

**I thought it would be proper to put a spider as Mumei's summon, since they make the fairies clothes etc , instead of a butterfly or a moth. Can you imagine a killer moth attacking a demon? Ha, I sure can't.**

**Replies:**

**Adoptedasian123: Maybe he will...*Strokes imaginary beard* Who knows. No wait, I do. Aha, but soon you will know, I'm sure! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Gravitypush: Thank you, that means a lot to me, since I do put a lot of thought into my characters, no-matter how small a part they are. *Air high fives screen, then rubs the hand mark off the screen* Thank you for reading and reviewing!~**

**xsweetsunshine: Well, here you go. A fresh chapter. Now go hug a tree, (no I'm kidding! XD You don't have to) but seriously, thanks for your review!**

**Thanks to the Followers: assana73, anatric and Dougall Dragon. (Nice name bro! ;))**

**And to the fave: xsweetsunshine! (You is awesome. You need a hug. *Hugs screen*)**

**If anyone doesn't get anything, do hesitate to ask. Or it you want to chat, that's cool too~ :)**

**See you next time!**

**-Verdigurl**


	4. Chapter 4: Thoughts

**Ao No Exorcist Fan fiction**

**Mumei**

**Chapter 4: Thoughts**

**Warnings (Overall): Violence, blood, general randomness, swearing.**

**[Written to It Ends tonight by All-American Rejects]**

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

She was just that type of person, Mumei knew, that wouldn't let something as little as her injured arms go. But if she kept feeding her little white lies about everything, she wouldn't start to suspect. It occurred to her that humans had built relationships around trust and honesty. Faking such things was child's play. And lying to someone's face didn't bother her at all, since her emotions were raw, morphed down to basic things like happiness and hate. Small emotions, but they would do for now. Such emotions were valued highly in this world, she found.

From Mumei's height, Shiemi was probably three, maybe four, centimeters shorter than her. It was because of her small, manipulative body that Mumei learned that she was a tough-willed flesh-walker. Judging this by her looks was a big risk on Mumei's part. Doing something like this was either arrogant or naively stupid, or rather accurate, depending on the subject. And even though it was a risk, she felt that it was a comfortable one, as Shiemi carried the washing basket on her own.

Shiemi refused any help, when Mumei asked. Politely, of course. She found that this was also a useful tool to get you to places quicker. "No Mumei, I'm okay." She replied, taking a quick peek at her injuries. "And anyway, you're hurt. I can handle it."

"Fine." Mumei whispered as she limped onto the rooftop with the green plastic pole twirling in her hand, walking towards the make-shift washing-lines that were located on this area of the building. It was only because of coincidence that Rin was here too. He was on his backside, staring up into the deep, brilliant blue, cloudless abyss. There was no doubt in her mind, because she and many of the other students were thinking it too, that he was pondering on the surprise attack of that demon in the girls washroom. It certainly came out of the blue, but Mumei knew it was preposterous that Satan would send another, (Mumei certainly didn't possess the blood of a demon, but it was common practice by exorcists to class them under the same category, because of their flames. You could really only distinguish between the two by the density of their flames.) , being into this world, only to take out his youngest born. It wasn't logical, so it meant that it was another enemy. From the time of Bocchama's conception, he'd already sustained an arsenal of enemies. Unknown, sneaky enemies that were set on bringing his death to reality. But being unknown didn't make them invincible, no way. Nobody was and nobody would ever be. When the time would come, and if that enemy ever popped its head around in her line of vision, she'd protect him with her life.

Their presence went unnoticed, which made her chuckle quietly with concern. His skills would need more work, if he were to defend himself.

Shiemi crouched down, her head hovering over his. "Rin!"

He yelped out with utter surprise and unconsciously went to sit up, knocking his forehead against Shiemi's, causing cried of pain between the two.

"D-Don't just pop out like that!"

She held her forehead in pain. "You too, don't just sit up like that, idiot!"

"It was an accident." Mumei sighed. "No harm intended."

He blinked and stood, his eyes drifting to the basket.

"Oh, what's that?"

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

He shouldn't have asked, then he wouldn't have gotten himself in this situation, frantically reaching for the sheets that were flying away in the wind. Mumei didn't particularly find it that interesting either. It was her first time doing physical labor like this, and as boring as it seemed, her hands were feeling rather itchy. She wondered what the hell Shiemi washed this stuff in.

"It's okay Rin," Shiemi said, patting down the air-filled sheets. "Mumei already offered to help me, so you don't have to!"

"Really?" He mumbled, quickly looking over at the mysterious girl, who was pegging a sheet up. Generally, he thought of her in one complete word; Odd. Her appearance was odd. Big, long hair that curled down to her kneecaps, stray ends hiding her face. Normal girls took care in their appearance, but no, she looked like she couldn't care less. She didn't talk much either, never uttering a word around guys, only a few sparing whispers to Shiemi, who herself was blushingly nervous around _anyone._ Maybe, she was just shy?

Maybe she never really knew how to confront people?

He shook his head, smiling. "Nah." He sighed as the wind finally died. "But why are you doing this?"

"Because I want to be of some help too, with the stuff only I could do."

"Stuff you could do?"

"Yeah. You're all working hard to become extortionists and help people right? And even Mumei's trying her hardest." Shiemi remembered back to when they first met in the classroom, and how her handwriting looked. How she told her about her life back home. "She's had a lot of trouble lately, and her mother sent her here to get things straight. A new start, I think is what she said." She looked at the sky, thinking that the sheets would be dry in no time. "I don't know if I want to be an exorcist, or if I can."

"B-But!"

She smiled happily. "But don't worry, let me do the things I'm good at first, like laundry."

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

Once there was a girl, who did nothing all day, but look out a window. She sat there every night, with an expressionless face, dim, water-coated eyes.

And every night, she had a visitor.

_Blessed greetings_ was his usual line, and he said it with a cheeky smile.

It was routine.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

The lady that was standing in front of the class upheld herself in a proud, respective manner, poking one fat, chubby finger in the air, as if observing something. It felt amusing to Mumei, how much the woman resembled the witch back in the castle. The servants, the household did ignore her presence, ignore her entity, but they did not wish to leave her uneducated. It would be useless for her future owners. So, to improve her standings, the higher-uppers had sent a teacher to her, one that would teach her etiquette.

She had a pair velvet purple wings, and a mole on the left side, just above her lip that moved whenever she spoke.

It was horrible.

"Most of ze demonz 'ave a so called le 'fatal verse', words or quotes zat will make zem die instantly."

But unlike the witch, Mumei was felt okay listening to her. She seemed alright enough.

"Aria specializez in le memorization and le recital of zose fatal verses." Her cat mewed. "Zen let's 'ear you recitez what I gave youze for 'omework. Kamiki!"

Kamiki was too overwhelmed with what happen to Paku to realize that the woman was calling her name.

"Kamiki, what's wrong with you?"

She stood, snapping out of her trance. "I'm sorry! Um….."

"Ze 'Te Deum'. Continuez from where we were le last time."

"Yes!" Kamiki took a breath and attempted to compose herself. "Every day we thank thee. And we praise…..we praise…."

"Yez?"

She blushed. "I…forgot…"

"Oh, now zat is unusual for you Mademoiselle Kamiki." The woman sighed, looking a bit upset that her student couldn't remember a simple verse. "Very well." Her eyes plotted around the roof, landing on a girl at the back, who was gazing idly out the nearby window at a stained-glass scenery of nothing. "Mumei. Why don't you 'elp 'er?"

Mumei looked up and then focused on her hands, which were becoming sweaty. Earlier, before this class had even started, she had to go see Mephisto about them, because they were swelling.

She shook her head, her face reddening as the classes attention focused on her. "…."

"Ztand up Mumei!" The woman said, her voice becoming more anxious. "And zpeak more loudly! I can 'ardly 'ear you from 'ere."

Again, Mumei shook her head, and thumped it on the desktop, unable to face all of the watching eyes. Quietly, she groaned to herself, wishing she had more confidence. She hated feeling this vulnerable. Hated these feelings.

"Um…." Shiemi had raised her hand.

"Don't worry about Mumei, Miss!" Shima said, laughing. "This little cutie doesn't speak much!"

_Go die in a hole you sentimental leech_, Mumei thought because his comment wasn't helping her situation.

"Fine zen. Suguro, 'elp zem out, will you?"

"Yes." He said calmly, standing. That girl was pathetic. How was she going to be an exorcist, when she couldn't speak?! "Every day, we thank thee. And we praise Thy Name forever, yea, forever and ever."

Mumei began to raise her head, looking at the boy in front of her.

"Oh Lord, deign to keep us from sin this day. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in thee. O Lord, in thee I have hoped; let me never be put to shame."

_Not bad_, she mused.

"Zat was le perfect!" The woman said with excitement, fluttering like a ditzy schoolgirl. Everyone started clapping, and even Mumei felt a little awed by the coloured haired boy. Such capability in memorizing things…..was admirable.

Then, the bell rung, signaling a break for the students. Some left for lunch, and the others stayed. Mumei got up and sat behind Shiemi.

"I was so surprised!" Shiemi said, staring at Bon.

"Now now." He replied, waving a free hand. "Be careful not to fall me now…."

Mumei snorted and then looked at her feet, hiding behind Shiemi. "….."

"What was that?!" He asked, getting angry. "Did you say something?"

"She said it was good." Shiemi said, translating for her.

Bocchama was also gaping at Bon with awe, his eyes wide open, thirstily taking in his image. "Wow, so you're really smart after all!"

"What!"

The bald-headed kid grinned at his friend. "More than being smart, Bon's just good at memorizing."

"Konekomaru, that means I'm smart, right?" He asked angrily, in a threatening voice at his friend, secretly wishing he hadn't said that in front of them, his classmates.

He squeaked. "Y-Yeah!"

Across the room, Kamiki was sulking, and becoming bitterer by the minute. "Memorizing isn't that great a skill."

"Huh, what'd you say?!" Bon yelled. "Hmph, I don't want to hear that from someone who can't even remember four lines!"

She shot up out of her chair angrily. "It's not that I can't, it's that I choose not to remember!"

_That's a pathetic lie._

"Aria are totally defenseless while chanting, so they need to be protected by their team. They're just luggage."

"What!" That made Bon stand, matching Kamiki's stance. "We're aiming for Aria, ya know!"

He made his way to her, and she did the same. She was practically mocking him. "Oh! So scary!" She smirked. "If you want to hit me, go on!"

Bon growled. "I can't stand people like you, don't laugh at people's dreams."

Mumei was starting to get anxious, her instinct warning her. Bon slammed his hand on the table, and Bocchama nearly spat onto the book he was reading, from the surprise.

"Ah, that you'll defeat Satan?"

Mumei's blood froze, and her face became firm, alarm bells ringing. Defeat Satan? As in, _killing him?_ Why, why would somebody think that? No wait, of course they'd want to, he's _apparently_ a death-bringer. But Mumei didn't want to consider him as a bad entity.

She dispelled the thought from her mind and re-joined the conversation at hand.

It was too late by then, because there wasn't enough time to dodge the flying book.

She didn't even realize that she'd hit the ground.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

Once there was a girl, who did nothing all day, but look out a window. She sat there every night, with an expressionless face, dim, water-coated eyes.

And every night, she had a visitor.

_Blessed greetings_ was his usual line, and he said it with a cheeky smile.

It was routine.

The boy brought with him books, from the land of Assiah, a land full of flesh-walkers and boxes that emitted light, with moving images, and amusing sounds. He enjoyed traveling there and back with his father, a trained hunter was his profession.

The books, he'd read to the girl, after her teacher had retired for the night and when his father wasn't watching his moves.

"_Aren't they pretty?" _He'd ask, showing her the pictures, his steam-metal gloves covering parts of the pages. She would never reply to him, but only listen with her eyes, her sea-foam eyes gazing longingly at the words of the book. She licked her lips, looking away from the window. He stared back at her, wishing she'd speak some words, _any words, _knowing she could not. It broke his soul. "_The humans in Assiah wrote this. Aren't they fascinating?"_

She didn't know the answer to that.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

"W-What's with this stone! I-It's getting heavier!"

Her legs felt like they were being flattened into one of those pancakes that Shiemi was eating at lunch. Or, it could be likened to the way prisoners were tortured. Sometimes, the guards would stack stones on their chests, while their limbs were tied up, until they were unable to breathe anymore.

Mumei never saw this happen, but she heard things. Interesting, _naughty_ things by all sorts of people.

"It's a low-level demon too. It gets heavier while you hold it!"

Bon t'ched. "You don't even know about low-level demons? Pathetic."

Mumei's bottom lip was pouting. This hurt so much, that she felt like punching the four-eyed bastard. Heck, if it would get this stone off her lap, she'd do it in a heartbeat. Too bad she was under obligation with Mephisto.

"Bastards..." She muttered. _You're all bastards._

"Hey, I apologized!" Rin shouted, trying again to gain the forgiveness of this girl. "B-But it was Bon's fault anyway! He's the one that knocked it out of my hand!"

"Hey, don't call me by my first name! And I did apologize!"

_But I was unconscious at the time, so both of your apologizes are lame._

"It's called collective responsibility." Yukio stated, as he stood with his hands planted on his hips, giving out what he thought was a 'right justice'. "There's another reason apart from studying for this camp, and that's strengthening your bonds with each-other. "

"I don't want to have bonds with _any_ of these people!" Kamiki said, thinking as such.

Mumei considered the thought and judged, that Kamiki was wrong. Bonds were important, no-matter whereabouts you were. They were important for infiltration.

"You have to get along with each-other! An exorcist cannot fight alone! Support each-others abilities and cover the weaknesses. Everyone fights in teams of at least two! In actual battles, a quarrel can lead a team to death!" You could see how strongly he felt about that from the emotion from his eyes. "Think about it." He checked his wrist-watch. "Now, I'll be going off on a three-hour mission. Due to the incident with the ghoul yesterday, I'll lock every entrance to the dormitory and put up strong barriers around it."

"Lock the entrances? Then how will we get out?" Bon asked.

"There's no need for you to get out." He simply replied, and Mumei had already guessed as such. "In the three hours that I'll be gone, you will get on well and cool your heads."

And then, the bastard left the room, with the same smile as _him._

"Three hours...he really is a demon..."

Bocchama looked like he was about to lose his sanity from these demons. They didn't speak, nor did they have the means to do so anyway. But from the looks of things, they weren't happy at being here either.

"I can't take it anymore." Bon muttered, sweating. "Are you two really related?"

"He's a really nice guy...somewhere deep within."

Somehow to Mumei, that really didn't seem convincing _at all._

"We're in this situation because of a certain someone."

"Says the one who grabbed me by the collar!"

"And who started the fight to begin with?!"

Mumei felt like kicking them, but Bocchama felt like verbally abusing them, which was fine with her.

"DON'T FIGHT WITH ME IN THE MIDDLE, YOU ASSHOLES!"

Pause. "You really are an annoying woman!"

"Tell me something new, so what!" Kamiki retorted.

"You'll just scare everyone away with that poor attitude." He sneered, thinking that she'll never get a boyfriend.

And then, just as Mumei was about to throw the demon off of her legs and walk right on out of this joint, the lights suddenly went out, pouring the room into a deep darkness that made Sheimi shriek and cling onto Mumei, who took that moment to shove the demon off.

Her legs would thank her later with soreness.

"Eeeek!"

"W-What's going on?!"

She heard Bocchama shriek in pain, and in the dim lighting which she thrived in, she could see his figure cradling his injured foot.

"What's going on?" Bon wondered aloud. "Did he turn off the lights too?"

"That can't be!"

"Then is it a blackout?"

Mumei shook her head and whispered. "No...the outside lights are still on..."

"Is this the only building without power?"

_Most likely,_ Mumei thought. If it the electricity was isolated, then that meant it was shut off directly somewhere. Probably manually.

Shima stood up, and everybody watched as he made his way to the door. Mumei patted Shiemi's head, feeling the grip on her jersey tighten. "Let's go out."

"S-Shima, be careful!"

He smiled in the darkness. "Heh, it's always events like these that gets my blood racing! A real test of courage."

Mumei sniffed the air when he opened the door and swore mentally, smelling the stench of the same demon from last night. Quietly and without drawing attention to herself, she moved in front of Bocchama and away from Shiemi, who was quivering slightly. As she did, a pain shot through her foot. Yeah, she wasn't human, but that didn't mean she couldn't get spirit burns. Faes resembled humans more than demons, even if they were reluctant to say that and since the humans considered them to be under the classification _demon, _these things were rarely noticed or recorded.

Shima closed the door and sighed to himself. "I guess I haven't been getting enough sleep lately." He turned to face the group. "I just-"

_WHAMM!_

An arms shot through the door, like if it was a very fine piece of paper, ripping it into shattered pieces. Shima, just in time, ducked under it and ran behind Rin, who was behind Mumei. So technically, he was hiding behind a girl.

"That's..."

Slowly, it moved into the room, growling, moaning instinctively, like a rabid, untamed werewolf. It's two heads locked onto Bocchama and moaned his name sadly, reluctantly.

"It's the ghoul from yesterday!" Kamiki stammered.

"Didn't he put up barriers!?"

Its second head, or rather a lump that looked like an appendage, bulged in size, the seams that held it together were stretched to the point where they ripped apart, splattering purple, stinky goo everywhere. A rotten stench that invaded and attacked the senses. The thing that emerged was a slobbering version of the first head, with a tongue that dripped out of the toothy mouth, saliva falling at its feet.

"UAAA!"

"What is this!?"

"Ugh, it's miasma!"

It stepped forward, its tongue reaching out to Bocchama, as if it was an arm.

"Quick! Ni, can you give me eely-billy?"

_What the heck is that?_ Mumei asked herself, watching the green man spirit. _A herb?_

And then, out from its stomach, giant roots reached out and stabbed the demon, right in the middle of its torso, pinning it to the wall. But the roots didn't stop there. They continued growing and growing, expanding at a fast rate, filling the room until the demon could hardly be seen through it.

_Good job. Maybe it's good to have her as an ally._

"Woah..."

"Amazing!"

"Thank you Ni!" Shiemi praised with relief, nudging her face against Ni.

"Ni!"

Bocchama walked up to the roots and observed them with his hands, his fingers brushing against the wood grain. "You saved us Shiemi, thanks to you..."

He then gasped in mid-sentence, and through the darkness, she saw something move, and what was moving was the demon, who split itself in half, regenerating its limbs, making it into two separate entities.

Mumei stepped forward, but then felt someone grab her arm, and she flinched at the stabbing pain, but managed to keep quiet. She looked back at who grabbed her and demanded that he let her go.

"Get off." She managed to say.

The boy who grabbed her, the hooded flesh-walker who went by the name of Kirigakure, shook _his_ head. Her eyes thinned.

He smelt _very_ feminine.

Oh well, it didn't matter.

"Please let me go." She repeated, tugging her arm back in pain. In this darkness, she couldn't spot a face under the hood and in this darkness, she felt more vulnerable than ever. "I have to stop him."

"It's coming!" Shima shouted.

Rin's eyebrow deepened. "It's lively for a corpse!"

"The ghouls get really active when it's dark."

Damp. Dirty. Sickening. The air around the group was filling with some sort of toxin, something that was starting to make the flesh-walkers cough, and Shiemi was the first. It was a type of biological toxin secreted from the demon that stuck to the inside of your lungs and throat, burning, irritating it until the victim is no longer able to breathe.

"Shiemi! What's wrong?!"

"I...feel dizzy..."

Mumei could feel herself breath the toxin in, but it didn't affect her slightly, in the thought that she would be poisoned by it. But still, she started to cough in a fit.

"M-Mumei?! You too?!"

"W-What?! It got so hot suddenly..."

"What's wrong with you all?" Bocchama asked, glimpsing around at the crippling state of his classmates.

_Of course,_ Mumei thought, self-consciously covering her mouth. _Bocchama wouldn't be affected by the toxin since he is partly demon...How troublesome...But, at least he's safe from that..._

"It's because of the ghoul's miasma." Coughed Kamiki, squinting. "Doesn't it bother you?"

He pulled out his phone. "Damn Yukio, where did you go?"

"If Moriyama's strength runs out, the barricade will be gone. Then, we'll be done for."

_Not a good sign._

From her position, Mumei staggered to her feet, coughing heavily, and opened the cupboard doors, seeing if there was anything, anything at all that could aid her.

She t'ched when she saw the sight of two exorcists hiding in the closet.

_Oh, so this is a fucking test? You've got to be...seriously?_

One of them, a man with heavy side-brows, put a finger up to his lips and _shhhh'd_ silently. Loudly, she grumbled and slammed the door shut.

"Was *cough* there anything?!" Shima asked, struggling to force out the words.

"No."

"He's not picking up his phone." Rin snapped his cellphone shut. "Then..."

He walked forward, and Bon's nerves fluctuated as he moved closer to the roots. "What are you doing?!"

"I'll go out and lure it away." He replied. "If it follows me, then you guys run away."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"B-But..." Mumei voiced her thoughts, as loud as she could, which could be barely considered a talking voice.

"Don't worry about me Mumei." He said, climbing over the roots. "I promise I'll come back."

Bon's hand reached out to him. "You idio-, HEY, COME BACK OKUMURA!"

"Okumura!"

"Stop!"

Bon's breathing was getting worse. "Man, what a guy...what an _idiot..._"

"A-Anyway, let's just get out of here!" Shima said eagerly, not wanting to stay in the same building as this demon. "Moriyama, you can lower the barrier."

"Wait, didn't you hear that?!"

Crackling. No, _cackling. _Some animistic growl, not a laugh at all.

It showed itself right in front of the group, scaring everyone. Shiemi flinched, her heavy eyelids fluttering under the weight of her body.

"I can't just wait here until it gets through." Bon said, aggravated. "Let's kill it with chants."

"Huh, Bon that's fine but do you know its fatal verse?"

"I don't, but usually ghoul type demons have a fatal verses from the Gospel of John. I've memorized it already, so if I just recite it, I'll hit the right one somewhere."

"All of it?" Shima asked? "That's more than twenty chapters?!"

"Twenty-one, that is." Konekomaru's eyes lifted, and determination filled his soul. "I've memorized one through to ten. Let me help."

He nodded, accepting the helpful gesture."Sure. Let's do this Konekomaru."

"If you start chanting, it'll attack you!"

_I have to follow him._ Was what Mumei's mind was thinking. She didn't care what happened to them, except for Shiemi, but with what little emotion she had for her, it could easily be replaced.

"Mumei, what the fuck are you doing?!" Bon shouted, before processing into a state of peace, where he started to remember the lines of the book. _What the heck is she doing? She's going to get herself hurt again!_

"Distraction." She whispered, not turning to face them. She couldn't, not with the face she was making. She could smell rotten blood.

And dirt.

It made her _immensely excited_.

_Time to give the bones a work out_, She said to herself, bracing.

"I'll help you Mumei." Shima said, drawing out pieces of rod that twisted and connected together, to form what could be considered a religious weapon. "Can't leave a lady to fight on her own, now can I?"

"Idiot."

"You're both stupid." Kamiki said, and an imaginary paddle hit Mumei in the back of the head, her usually quiet temper simmering.

"What? You had such a big mouth earlier, but now that things get real, you wet yourself!"

_Humans are so noisy...and they bicker a lot too..._

Bon pointed his hand at her. "Stand back if you ain't going to fight."

She flinched and shut up.

"Konekomaru, you start from the first chapter, and I'll start from the eleventh. Don't let it get through."

Konekomaru nodded.

"Shima, Mumei, Don't let it get closer."

"Got it!"

Mumei's nose twitched. "..."

"Let's do this!"

"Yes!"

Then, they started to chant, and the battle began.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

Rin had made it to his destination...

"The switchboard...this is it...It's all off! If I turn it on..."

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

When Shimei collapsed, Kamiki tried to get her back up again, and managed to speak a few words to her.

Shima was knocked out within the first few minutes.

With every move it made, attack it drove violently at her arm, head, legs, torso, she barely dodged then with her injured foot, grabbing one of its arms with her legs and twisting backwards, flipping it into the floorboards. She cringed and cried out in pain when she landed back, leaving the demon stunned on the floor.

"Ahhaaa..."

Konekomaru gasped. "M-Mumei!"

"I-I'm fine!" She cradled her ankle and then stood, swaying. _Asshole."H-Hurry!"_

"I humbly call upon the Gods of Harvest. Follow my wishes, leave nothing unfulfilled!"

Mumei blocked another attack, feeling something rip as she did.

"Woman, how dare you summon us again! Know yo-"

"OBEY ME!"

_Woah, did they just get themselves fucked over._

The demon made itself bigger in size and threw Mumei across the room, broke a window, causing her to almost fall out of the building. Stray pieces of glass dug into her stomach as she groaned on the floor, her vision dizzy and her muscles freezing up on her involuntarily.

"One, two, three, four, five." Kamiki readied herself again, focusing. "I'm a bad person, but I'm also a sore loser! _Tremble as a leaf, tremble I say! Fall, and never return to life!_"

Criss-crossing in all directions, the fox-spirit demons attacked the rag-doll demon, scratching, biting, acting like a snow blizzard, trapping it in a spinning vortex.

"You did it!"

_No..._Mumei thought, feeling the nerves in her back reconnecting. _It's too strong for a simple attack like that. It must be a summons. Someone summoned it, defiantly. I have to find them._"

Just as she was able to sit up again, and she pulled all of the glass out the demon grabbed Bon's head and raised him up, like a sacrifice to the sun.

Suddenly, and without any signals, the lights came back on and the demon flinched, screeching. It flinched and howled at the feeling of its skin being burned, and Mumei watched as the demon disappeared into ash, Bon falling to his knees.

"Bon!" Konekomaru ran to his friend.

"I'll d-d-die!"

"B-Bon..."

Mumei managed to stand properly, leaning on the side wall for support, stumbling towards Shiemi, who was lying face down.

Shiemi gasped, seeing her friend covered in blood. "M-Mumei! Your shirt!"

"I'm fine." Mumei lied, flashing a smile. "It's not mine."

Shima blushed, waking up from being knocked out and confronted the quiet girl. "Mumei?"

"..."

"You should cover your backside."

She looked at him, eyebrow raised. Behind, she heard a thud. "Why?"

"Because your skirt ripped off and we can all see your panties. Not that I'm complaining."

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

Days passed. Then, they turned into nights and the weather became unbearably hot for Mumei, and often caused her to fall asleep suddenly, due to overheating.

"He didn't fight at all." Amaimon said glumly, staring at him through '_hand binoculars'_.

"Yeah, he's always like this. It annoys the hell out of me. Don't you want to go serious on him?"

"I do." He replied, facing his brother, brochures appearing in his hands. "But first, I want to learn more about this Japan you love so much."

Mumei sniffed her nose, rolling over.

"That's lovely. But I didn't give you the infinity key for sightseeing."

"I know," He stood and stretched. Amaimon looked over at the Fae's sleeping form. "Why the hell do you even keep her? She's such a waste of space...sleeping around...she even missed the '_battle'._ What a loser, can't even listen."

Mephisto's eyebrow twitched, following the gaze of his brother. "Do I hear a touch of jealousy, brother?"

Amaimon huffed and walked to the door, and left without saying goodbye, his hobgoblin pattering after him, the chain clanking.

"Will it be alright?" Asked the man in the corner, ignoring the presence of the girl on the couch. He knew she wasn't human, right from when he walked into the classroom. _A fae_, Mephisto said, when he confronted him over the matter, _a rare sight to behold. _In other words, demon spawn was all around him. He didn't like it.

"Yes it will." Mehpisto looked over his shoulder. "He seemed interested enough."

The man sighed and left the room, in the same fashion as the younger demon did.

Then, Mephisto stood, looked at the setting sun, and wandered over to Mumei, digging his hand under her neck and upper thigh, lifting her up carefully so that he wouldn't wake her.

"To bed, to bed my deary~" He cooed, walking away, her luscious locks of hair swaying with each step. "You've had one heck of a week."

* * *

**~o0o~**

**~* Omake*~**

* * *

After the battle, or _test_ as her suspicions confirmed, they were taken to a ward, where they were administrated anti-toxins and any other medical assistance. Mumei refused to take the needle, and Mephisto somehow managed to persuade the doctors to let her be, saying that she wasn't as badly poisoned as everybody else, since she was near an open window, and the fresh air was able to regulate the amount of toxins in her bloodstream.

A load of bullshit, she knew, but if it got those damned needles away, she was happy.

What was annoying her were those two shady figures sitting on the other side of the room. (Aka- The gaming '_guy_' but is actually a girl and the I-don't-need-to-open-my-eyes-to-see kid. Two _great_ fellows, for sure.)

"Yo, you got anything to say for yourselves, huh?" Bon asked, rather angrily that neither participated in the test.

"Sweet." She said, obviously focused on whatever she had in her hands. "I scored a dragon claw!"

"Huh! Shut up you little brats!" Said the boy. Or the puppet, most likely the boy. "What makes you think I'd have anything to say to you?!"

With that word, Mumei stood and confronted the rude flesh-walker. He looked up at the strange girl, who had a fierce look in her eyes that made him want to poke at her. To hear that almost non-existent voice of hers.

"What'd you want, big boobs?!" He asked, secretly smirking.

She didn't feel the need to answer that. Just blinking, she kicked the chair over that he was sitting in, making him fall to the ground, almost pulling the drip and bag along with him. everyone's breathing became hushed, surprised that she acted that way.

"Wow..." Rin said.

Bon twitched, thinking she took it too far.

She turned away and sat at the foot of Shiemi's bed.

The puppet shot up into the air. "Nice talkin' to ya, DD!"

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

**Yo Brochachoes. I'm calling you that now, just saying.**

**Anywho, some of you _may or may have not_ noticed that I have a very, very dry sense of humor that's drier than a desert, so if you want me to explain anything, or randomly have a talk session ( 'cause I'm a HUGE *Holds up arms* procrastinator.) I'd be happy to.**

**A rather depressing week, if you ask me. I was feeling quite low and poorly when BAM! All these reviews and emails from fanfiction made me happy again. So thanks. *Hugs computer screen***

**Replies: **

**xsweetsunshine: That's very nice of you to say~ I hope they're "in character" in all of my chapters, but I'm not too sure about this one. Oh well. Thanks for reviewing again!**

**Dougall Dragon: Thanks. Oh, I'm going to say this again, so in the future, it'll be one less question asked.**

** Bocchama, hm. Well,  
Bo-chan is basically young master.  
Sama- is an honorific used for a person in a higher position that yourself.  
But there's also 'Chama', which is a different form of Sama, but basically meaning the same thing. ****It'll differ from person to person, because of personal preference, but this will be the version I will use. It sounds cooler too, than just Bo-chan.**

**Adoptedasian123: Aw, youse make moi blush *Blushes***

**AtlasofIdioms: Ah, that makes my heart go yay~! Thank you for reviewing and your lovely comments. OuO**

**Thanks to "All Powerful Genie God" for following~ *Drops to knees and bows***

**Ciaosuu Brochachos**

**-Verdigurl**


	5. Chapter 5: Improvement

**Ao No Exorcist Fan fiction**

**Mumei**

**Chapter 5: Improvement **

**Warnings (Overall): Violence, blood, general randomness, swearing.**

**[Written to: Nightcore - Numb (Dubstep) **

**Pale - Within Temptation]**

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

_What an odd dream, _Mumei thought, as she was caught in the morning daze, her forearms propping her torso upwards so that she could see the dimly dark room through her squinted morning eyes. She wasn't used to seeing the light, waking her up, telling her that the day has begun. Something like that, for her, was a thing of the distant past and now, it was becoming routine. She sighed, her head hitting the pillow again. _Why would I dream of something like that? Useless things, they are._

For her, her speech habits had improved vastly, but that did not mean she _liked _talking to people. Who would want to speak meaningless phrases, when you could get the point across quickly with a flick of a hand?

Outside her window, which was on the third floor of the west end of the school, She could hear the brightly feathered creatures chirping, calling to others of their own. That way, they wouldn't get lonely. She smiled, cracked her wrists and neck, and pushed away the summer duvet cover in a sweeping motion, as if someone was creating a rainbow with their hand. Her hair was an absolute shaggy mess, but it was tamed within the space of a few minutes, possibly ten, with the help of a brush that Shiemi had given to her. The light that made it through Mumei's satin curtains stained the cold floorboards, causing the room to brighten, scarring away any sleepiness that was left inside her.

Today was at a much better temperature that she could regulate in with ease. Compare that to the previous days, it was bliss. On a spare space on the working table that was near the window, which she opened, closing her eyes as a stampede of light filtered through the window. In that space slept Lucinda, who had refused to leave Mumei's side since hearing of the demon attack.

"Good morning." She whispered, cooing quietly. Lucinda had been up all night, getting information from her underlings back in Gehenna. Apparently, she even had a family back there, but she'd dubbed Mumei as one of her own, taking on a motherly role. Mumei smiled softly, thinking. _That's right, I don't have any classes today either._

"_Salutations, Mumei." _She yawned, stretching out her arachnid limbs.

"What's the word in Gehenna?"

_"Satan's still recovering from that man's suicide."_ Lucinda replied._ "It will be a while before he'll be able to possess anyone. "_ She paused, as if she was scrolling through the memorized information. _"And it's more that likely that the circle have tried another attempt at breaking into the manor. They might have even realized that you may not be at the residence anymore."_ Her head bobbed upwards. _"But I doubt they know you're in Assiah."_

"Anything else?"

If Lucinda was a human, the pause she took could have been classified as a gulp. _"I assume you've heard about the most recent attack on Satan's youngest offspring?"_

"About that horrible flesh-walker that not only attacked his brother, but also nearly killed himself in the process from loosing too much blood?" She asked, opening her wardrobe, pulling out a shirt and a long purple skirt that reached her ankles. "Sure I have. The bastard's still alive and is now on the top of my hit list. Did Mephisto reply to my question?"

"_Yes. He said the next time he attacks, you have his permission." _

_Good, _Mumei thought, smiling a sharp grin, zipping up the side of her skirt.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

Their days had now been delegated into a period of time for the students of both the normal human school and the exorcist school called '_summer break'._ Honestly, Mumei found that they probably didn't need this _break_ at all, and was probably leading them on into procrastination, a skill which she has excelled in for the majority of her life. Ah, utter bliss it was.

The students were allowed to go home in this period of time to visit family and friends, but seeing as Mumei didn't have a home to go back to or family to spend time with, both her and Mephisto decided it would be the best for her to stay at the dorms for the rest of the '_summer break'._

Then somehow Shiemi found out about her predicament and invited her to visit her house. (Mumei had a pretty good idea about who ratted it out to the poor blond child, but she wasn't going to name anybody. Today, she was in a very good mood.)

Once Mumei had fished out the infinity key that Mephisto had given her to keep out of her deep pocket in the side of her skirt, she began the journey of walking to Shiemi's family-owned store, that looked like it lay on a tower of green, disconnected from the world, the only way to reach it was via the bridge. Lucinda was lucky enough not to be blown away, but it shouldn't have impressed her. Lucinda was a demon black widow, a middle class demon, so she should have been able to do well on her own.

Mumei's eyes lingered on the greenery, as the wind blew her skirt to the point where it was wrapping itself around her right leg, her braided hair had strands poking out, so she tucked them behind her ear. _It must have been nice, growing up there..._

Her feet began to tire when she reached the top of the stone stairs, her flat sole shoes tapping in time with her swinging arms.

"Mumei! Mumei, over here!"

Ironically, Mumei found the smiling innocent in a garden surrounded by a gate, waving one hand in the air, and a clump of dirt in the other, her kimono sleeves rolled to her elbow. She waved back and went to reach for the gates handle.

She stopped.

Her hand stung when she reached out for it, and she withdrew it, holding it with the other hand, her eyes examining the gate. _Obviously_, she thought, her eyes thinning inconspicuously, _the gate had been covered in a barrier of a sort,a charm that repels demons? So why does it repel me too? Would this happen to other faes, pixie and every other thing that comes from Gehenna?_

_"_Shiemi." She whispered, grabbing the girls attention. "Could you open the door? It's locked."

Shiemi's eyebrows bunched together with doubt, but regardless, she came over and opened the gate, chuckling a smile. "Silly, silly! It wasn't locked at all!"

"Oh..." Mumei blushed bashfully. "Sorry. I don't realize these things sometimes."

"That's okay." She replied, walking back over to all of the hand-dug holes in the ground. It was only then when Mumei noticed that she wasn't wearing any shoes. Her feet were getting dirty. "I do that too. A lot, actually. Rin always keeps calling me out for it." She yawned. "Yuki too."

"Yuki?"

Her mouth opened wide. "Oh right! I actually knew Yukio before he was a teacher! He was a beginning exorcist under the guidance of his father!"

_Father? Surely not Satan..._

They both sat themselves down, and when Shiemi had finished teaching her about how to plant a living plant, she brought the subject up. Secretly, it piped her interest. With Bocchama, the way he turned out, she'd like to see what kind of man he was.

"Does he come here often, since he's an exorcist?" She asked, patting lightly on the bottom of a green punnet, holding the other side carefully. "He must be really nice, yeah?"

She quieted down, and didn't stop planting the baby shrub that she had in her hand. Her smile had disappeared when she started to pat down the soil around it. Lucinda gasped in a dramatic manner, and Mumei did her best to ignore it.

"..."

"Rin and Yukio's father is dead. He was really kind."

"..."

_Whoops. This must be the suicide guy that Satan tried to possess, the first time Bocchama had met master._

"B-But don't let that discourage you!" Shiemi stuttered, noticing that the dark-haired maiden had stopped planting, looking down at her hands, thinking it was shame on her face. "T-They are getting better!"

"I'm glad that they have each-other." She said, after a while, thinking that it must be nice to have someone to love.

"Mother says that we can have lemonade after this!" Shiemi smiled happily. "Ni and, uh..." She pointed at the spider on Mumei's shoulder.

"Lucy. Or Lucinda."

_"What! You shall call me by my real name, girl!"_

Shiemi nodded. "And _Lucinda_ can have water! I have heaps!"

At this point, realizing what Shiemi had happily blurted out of her own mouth, Mumei resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but instead she sighed. She knew herself that if it had _that _word, things were going to suck for the remainder of the week.

"I'm sorry Shiemi, but I can't do that."

"What?"

Mumei tried to find the words."Uh...I can't, whenever I do, I..."

"Eh?" Shiemi raised her eyebrow, watching the girl blush harder as she was having trouble. "Can't what Mumei?"

"..."

"Y-You'll have to speak up! I-I can't hear you!"

"I can't drink this _Lemonade." _

Shiemi frowned. "Why not?"

"I'm allergic to it. The lemon, any citrus fruit really."

Needless to say, Shiemi was caught off by this sudden confession, apologizing profusely. It was the truth, lemons were poisonous to her, but to be safe, she said citrus to make sure that she wasn't infected. It was horrible, when she was. The lemon that was in the washing powder was more than enough to irritate her skin, which in turn irritated her. Shiemi kept blushing as Ni-chan climbed onto the girl's shoulder and jumped at Mumei, speaking rather cutely. It's voice was high pitched, and although Mumei didn't understand a lot of what it said, she got the gist of his mind.

"...cute..." Mumei smiled, shaking it's hand/paw/finger-less limb. Just one would have been fine, since '_he', _(She classified the green-man spirit a he just because she could.) was hanging off of her finger, but in the space of a minute, maybe even two, about _ten_ had appeared, all surrounding her. They seemed to sniff the air and basking in the sun. There was hardly any wind today.

She looked around her, along with Shiemi, almost jumping. "...oh my..."

Shiemi giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, her eyes closed, a blush presenting itself on her face. "I think they like you Mumei!"

_It must be because of the heat and the sap together._

She then gasped, her hand reaching out towards Mumei, causing the dark-haired maiden to flinch, leaning away. Shiemi huffed and pulled her off the ground.

"...n-no sh-..."

"No!" Shiemi's voice was somewhat firm, as it echoed throughout the garden and her brows mashed together, lines appearing between them. She pulled away from the garden, and towards the back of the house. "Your arms, they're _bleeding! We need to get them fixed!"_

Mumei blinked, and looked down, finally feeling a splintering pain, red ooze inking through her bandages.

_They weren't that colour before._

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

"Wait here." Shiemi had ordered as Mumei was forced to sit on the bed. "I'm going to get some supplies."

Mumei nodded quietly.

But once she left, Mumei let a small shrill that came through her clenched teeth. She peeled the bandage off her left arm. It was sticky in this red sap. The material bandage bounced back when it decided to let go of her skin, tearing away tiny, minuet pieces of flesh in its wake. She breathed in, moaning.

Her head bobbed upwards as she felt someone in the doorway. And it certainly wasn't Shiemi.

"Was it worth it staying in this world, Fae?" The woman asked, her brown bun bobbing as she leaned against the door-frame. Once Mumei had finished untangling her arm from the bandage, she let it float to the ground. She could feel her pulse moving, stinging with each beat.

She sighed, gulping, looking at the windows. Mephisto hadn't warned her about other beings other than exorcists. Just that humans couldn't see demons unless they had been marked by a spirit wound, meaning that this woman was knowledgeable. She'd spotted her, after all.

"I am a protector." She replied in a glum, monotone voice, flinching again. "I have no choice but to stay here." She looked at her eyes and smiled slightly. "It's much nicer than Gehenna, anyway."

"Is it now?"

"Yes. Gehenna is a barren place." She pursed her lips, not wanting to talk of that dreadful place anymore. "Who are you?"

"I'm Shiemi's mother, and who might I ask are _you?_"

Mumei straightened up. She clenched her fists. "M-Mumei m'am."

"I've heard quite a bit from Shiemi about you. Told me you were less of a talker than she was. Look at you now." She drew out each vowel, exasperating in its length. She walked over to the drawer and lifted out a first aid kit. "Silly girl. She's always forgetting where things are." She opened it and pulled out a wet-wipe. "So you want to be an exorcist?"

Mumei licked her lips and held out her arms, drawing her eyes away from the pain being caused by the wet-wipe. "Let's just say one thing lead to another and now I do not wish to go back to Gehenna. _Demons aren't always friendly as the green-men, or the snowmen. _It's far more complicated that I would like it to be. Most of the time, I would wish I had been born a human."

"And?"

"And Shiemi has been very good to me." Mumei breathed in, hearing footsteps downstairs. And then she asked in a whispering voice."...how did you know?"

She clicked her tongue, throwing away the sappy, blood-soaked y wet-wipe and pulling out another one so that she could do the other arm. Mumei cringed as she tore off the bandage much faster than she herself did, her eyes blinking rapidly. "You can't just say to me _those are simply old spirit wounds._" Shiemi's mother looked into Mumei's eyes with suspicion. "_Spirit wounds don't re-open after they've sealed. These wounds are definitely not spirit wounds. I've only seen this type before once, and it was on a dead fae._"

"..."

"It's not my place to ask, but I do wish to know if my daughter _is_ in danger by being with you. Fae's aren't know for their_ loving_ ways."

Mumei looked up to the window and just about as she was to reply to this fact, Mumei shuffled in, red-faced, puffing. "S-Sorry M-Mumei, I c-c-"

"It's okay Shiemi." Her mother gestured for her to go away. "I found it myself, but your dear friend here, she seems dehydrated. Would you run down to the store and fetch some juice? And butter too, we ran out of that this morning."

"Y-Yes!" She called, her posture straightening, turning to leave. "I-I'll be back soon, o-okay Mumei!?"

"Alright." She whispered, watching her leave. When she head the bottom floor door slam, she breathed out, and glanced straight at Shiemi's mother.

"I know what humans think of us. I've heard the stories of children being _whisked _away, adults being _spirited _off to Gehenna to act as food. Things being stolen, houses torched in flames, enchanted plants. "She cocked her head to the side each time she gave an example. "I know that you know that human's aren't seen very highly in the world of the demons, where Fae's _blend into cracks. Spat and despised_." Her voice became agitated, and Mumei could feel these unfeeling feelings surge up inside her, _burning, hurting._ The tears that she felt were proof of her anger. "But I see you, your kind differently." Her voice cracked and she smiled sadly. "Here, I'm someone with a name. I wouldn't ever want to hurt a human."

Mumei didn't know if Shiemi's mother believed her.

"Promise me Shiemi will be safe."

"I can't fully promise that." Mumei said, as her hands were re-bandages. "Being an exorcist will always bring danger."

"Then promise me you'll _protect her. Isn't that your job?"_

No.

Yes.

You can't easily pinpoint her purpose for _just _that.

"What _kind_ of promise?"

"An oath."

Her heart shuddered. That was a big ask.

"Alright." She said, holding up her forefinger, a photo-kinetic light appearing. "Just touch the tip of my finger, and it is done."

She thanked Mumei as skin touched skin.

Her heart shuddered because she could have denied it.

But she accepted because there was a choice involved.

Shiemi was becoming a part of her heart.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

Soon enough, Shiemi soon realized that if she were to protect Bocchama _and_ Shiemi, she would need to train, to get herself in a better physical and mental shape. The day after she had spent both the afternoon and dinner with Shiemi and her mother, she arrived in Mesphisto's office.

He was twirling around on his swivel chair. "Ooo! G'd morning my sweety~"

_Sweety? I am certainly not._

"Please refrain from addressing me with that title." She moved her weight to her other foot. "It's kind of creepy."

"Look at you now! You're starting to talk like a _real teenager! I'm so proud of you!" _

She sighed, resisting the urge to slap the silliness right out of him. "I'm requesting a room so that I could train in."

"Are you sure not trying to wag the exorcist student's duties? I'm sure Shiemi will enjoy your company at the river." He leaned in, waggling his eyebrows. "And I'm sure your beloved _Bocchama _would _love_ your presence at the beach."

"I can attend neither without my identity being found out." She said sternly, whatever this _wagging _thing was. "I'm sure a Naiad would be present at the stream and a Oceanid would at the beach. I do not wish to find myself with them, as it would pose a danger not only to myself, but to the people around me."

He smiled. "You sure are starting to get soft~"

She blushed. "Shut it. I did not come here to be judged."

"Do not worry your pretty little wings off m'dear, I've thought of it all." He stood and held out a hand. "Grab on and we'll teleport there!"

She raised her eyebrow. "You can teleport?"

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

When Mumei's mind, (and stomach), came to, she found herself alone in a very large, concrete room that had no windows or a door. Beside her on the ground, there was a small piece of lined paper that was scribbled on very quickly, judging by the handwriting.

_Hello Mumei, my deary~ _

She wasn't liking the start already. Mephisto needed to stop these _pet_ names.

_Have you had a lovely experience in the world of Assiah? Was it like my first time arriving in this world, where I was fascinated by everything? And the humans! Oh the humans, aren't they the most adorable things? Don't you find them to be completely odd? They try to fight against something that is too powerful for them! Aha~ They are indeed fascinating ~ Just like yourself, I might add._

_And anyways, I know Satan told you to watch over Rin-chan, but I also want you to buff up! I want to see how strong you can become! (It's been the longest time since I've been **this** excited. I can feel something coming!) And I know that you know that the Fae's aren't patient. Eventually, they will find you._

_So take this time to think about things. I love talking to you. :)_

_-Mephisto _

_This is rather creepy_, Mumei had concluded, getting that weird vibe from the purple haired demon. _But he does have a point. I'm not going to be able to live in this peaceful environment forever. The circle will defiantly come to get me. Armageddon will arrive that day, and pain will be riddled in my bones. I will have to get stronger before they try to strike me down._

Mumei ripped the paper into several pieces and shoved it into her coat pocket. Then, she looked around.

To be blunt, and completely straight, there wasn't anything in here. There were no windows or doors, or exercise equipment, power-plugs, or even a light fixture above. Heck, only heaven would know where the light source was coming from. The room was big in its atmosphere, and it made Mumei shudder with uncertainty.

_For my training, _She asked herself, _does Mephitso expect me to escape from this room?_

_"_First..." She said, puling out the small piece of paper that was only one in an entire stack that was only replaced every two months. Mumei spilled a drop on blood on it and mentally called out to Lucinda, who appeared in a ball of smoke on the floor, that cleared off within eight seconds.

"_Hello, young miss._" Lucinda greeted in a sleeping voice. If she were human, Lucinda probably would have yawned. "_What is it that you require my assistance?"_

"You see, I'm stuck here. With no windows or doors, it looks like I'll need to drill a hole."

"_Oh, is that all?"_

Mumei groaned and rolled her eyes."No, that's not what I wanted to ask."

"_Then what, if it isn't that?"_

"Were you there in the northern fire war?"

She sat on the ground next to the female arachnid. Lucinda nodded. "_I've been here since Satan sat on his throne. Not that I care much for him, or any other demon."_

"So you were?"

"_Yes." _Lucinda said, drawing the word out slowly. "_I was young then, but I still remember the vivid colours."_

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

_The northern fire war was an old grandmothers tale told by the handmaid that had looked after Mumei, and she was a fae that technically was a 'nanny' but she only ever fixed her meals and drew the baths, since at a young age that Mumei was at, she couldn't do it herself. She was old, and Mumei could tell that she had been here for a long time, since it was unusual to see a fae with wrinkles. Usually, they'd bask in their window-store appearance of everlasting youth, but her 'Nana', (That was how she addressed the handmaid.), chose not to do what all the other pointy nosed, high eyebrow fae did. She chose to not use her magic to keep herself young. Her wrinkles showed her knowledge._

_She told Mumei stories while doing these duties, telling her that she was the only one willing to listen to her stories._

_The northern fire was a controversial name to call it. Of course, there was a heavy, black fire involved. Villages of both demons and faes were perished within days and the war only lasted, in human years, no more than five. It was a time where everything was plunged into darkness and only in the end, where the night was plunged into an orange daze of the sunlight that rose upon a bloodshed battlefield, thus the name, that the faes were pushed away and forced to flee. Death fermented everywhere and out of the forest of ripped flesh came a winged warrior with a translucent weapon that glowed from the dark._

_And in the mess of it all, a single tune was sung._

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

_I know what I want to achieve._

_I know that man, that fae that walked off that battlefield had managed to crate a weapon out of his own flames. That would have taken a massive amount of concentration and control to condense a live, difficult flame into something like a weapon._

_To protect is my oath._

_I know what I need to do._

As if Lucinda could read her face, her _exact _thoughts at that moment, she replied to Mumei's voiceless speech.

"_Why would you call me here? I would not know how to control a flame. Only the high-class demons have their flames, and the faes have pathetic ones. What makes you think I'd know what to do?"_

"Because you are my summons." She replied, looking at her firmly, in a monotone voice that was weaved with persistence Sea-foam green met the hundreds of eyes that were on Lucinda's head. "I'm going to make you help me."

She had no choice but to accept. How else was Lucinda going to get back to Gehenna?

"_Fine, but I don't know how I'll be of service._"

"Just watch me, and direct. Shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

"_Somehow, I don't think that will be the case." _

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Every guy in the vicinity, except for Yukio (who was an exorcist and a gentleman with a standard to uphold.), gawked with excitement as the saw the rather innocent Shiemi running towards them, Kamichi behind her, puffing. With a skin-tight uniform now clutching to her skin instead of a kimono. They ran towards the group, afraid that they had arrived late. Her assets bounced in time with her steps.

"S-Sorry we're late! " She called out.

Rin blushed, eyeing the painting girl as she leaned on her knees, trying to catch her breath. "S-Shiemi, what happened to your kimono?"

"The kimono's not fit for missions, so the principle assigned me a uniform." She said clearly, explaining."We're late because Kamichi had to show me how to put it on!"

Kamichi rolled her eyes, thinking how _stupid_ the girl was. How could _she not_ know how to put a uniform on? "Why me?"

"It's not too weird, I hope..."

Praises were sent by the majority of the men population of the group, who definitively approved of Shiemi's new look.

"It's good, it's good, it's hella cute, Moriyama!"

Bon nodded eagerly, while Konohamaru silently sat beside him, smiling happily.

"Thanks!" She said, with a big smile, happy with their reactions. She had never had friends like this before, so to be praised like this, it meant the _world_ to her. She could even imaging the quiet, gleaming smile of whit that would be hidden behind Mumei's soft gown of locks, her eyes smiling along too, the edges crinkling up like candy wrappers.

Shiemi frowned, looking around her.

"Alright, now that you're all here, I'll assign you in pairs."

Shiemi raised her hand. "Wait! Mumei's not here!"

Bon looked around. "You're right! Mumei would usually be the _first _one to arrive."

"Is she okay?"

Yukio smiled, trying to calm the group down. "Calm down, she's okay." He waved his clipboard. " Ms Mumei unfortunately has a meeting with the principle to discuss her residency in the dorm she's living in. Nothing major, but it's something they're discussing over. She'll be back tomorrow."

Shiemi's frown was suppressed by now, but her mind was still on her best friend.

_Mumei, I hope you are okay. I really wanted to see you today._

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

Mumei ripped her hand back, jerking, swearing loudly and fell on her side onto the concrete, clutching her arm. She breathed in heavily, small beads of sweat dripping down and staining her uniform. "O-Oh...O-h..."

"_Again_." Lucinda called, a few feet away. She had outgrown her first form, which she mainly used for stealth, and reverted back to her original form, which was five-times bigger that the first. She was almost bigger than the size of a family van. Red shards poked out of her abdomen and scales made themselves clearly presentable contrast on her leathery skin, black on orange.

When Mumei ducked her head down, Lucinda clicked her tongue, slowly becoming annoyed at the lack of progress coming from the little Fae. Inside this prizion dome of concrete, they had been here for over several hours. She kept attacking the wall with almost no success, only chipping it.

Barely. It was pitiful.

"_Do it again or I'm going to kill you." _

Mumei gulped, hearing the seething will of death in Lucinda's voice, one that echoed hate. She stood, wavering and nodded silently, her mouth open, gasping for air.

Again, she tried her hardest.

She put her arm out in-front of her, and with her other, held that arm for support, otherwise it wouldn't be able to take her flames, and it would fail drastically. Spitting out a gunky phlegm ball that had been stuck in her mouth, Mumei breathed out.

_"Flame of the abyss, the pain that I can never feel, become my master. Become my fate, and never fail!"_

Vividly, sunset orange flames eclipsed the outside of her arms, spinning wildly, curling around her arm, causing erratic currents of air to spinning off of them, flicking her hair. She bent her knees as the flames increased in power. Along her arms, and underneath the flames, where no-one could see (not even Mumei, who was more focused on controlling her flames.) Not being able to control it anymore, she ran towards the wall, throwing her flamed punch forward into the solid barrier.

She screeched as the recoil flung her back.

She was absolutely sore, especially her arm. She could feel her pulse throbbing.

Lucinda surveyed the damage and nodded, looking back at Mumei.

_"Progress. This is good. Now do it again, and better this time." _

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

Mumei never realized before this night how _nice_ a cold bed was. She felt at peace when she flopped back and stared at the ceiling, her eyelid's drooping, her arms re-bandaged. The other ones were burned the first time she used her flames. That _was_ her first time. She never imagined it would be that grueling. Only hunters and royals were permitted to use their flames, that would be if she were in Gehenna.

She never did notice the figure standing in her closet.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

"Nice to meet you~" Yelled the multi-coloured maiden, who sat at the front of the class and swung back and forth, as if she was a child with ADHD. She couldn't sit still, her voice was annoying and what really bugged Mumei was that she was the kid that had tried to stop her from fighting.

And her smile.

And her hair.

"I was dispatched by the Vatican Headquarters I'm Shura Kirigukure! Eighteen years old!"

Mumei t'ched and ignored her for the rest of the session. Class. Whatever. You could blame the lack of sleep for her bad mood.

"Mumei, are you okay?" Shiemi asked, concerned for her friend, who hadn't spoken since the day before yesterday. Had something _bad_ happened at the meeting with the principle? "You don't seem to be in a good mood..."

"I'm tired, that's all." She said quietly, and with that, she walked out of the class while Kirigukure was still talking. She ignored all of their calling and fell asleep once she got back to her room.

Her fault for pushing herself too hard to get out of that room.

Mesphisto's fault for not giving her a door.

* * *

**~o0o~**

* * *

**Eheh, yo?**

***Bows* Holy crud, I'm sorry this is late! I had planned to get it out sooner, but my procrastination took a turn for the worst. I had to write an ****E level (NCEA) English essay within the space of two to four .**

******Things to explain:**

******Naiad:a type of nymph (female spirit) who presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater.**

******Oceanid: In Greek mythology and, later, Roman mythology, the ****Oceanids** (Ancient Greek: Ὠκεανίδες, pl. of Ὠκεανίς) were the three thousand daughters of the TitansOceanus and Tethys. Each was the patroness of a particular spring, river, sea, lake, pond, pasture, flower or cloud.

******Anywho! *Is actually dying from the heat* onto what I usually do!**

******Thank you to all of the readers. The faves and the followers, the praises and the happiness that it makes is very much what makes me get through the day.**

******Replies:**

******Dougall Dragon: Nyaa~ Thank-you! I hope this wasn't a major wait, I got distracted...aha *scratches neck* I hope you ejoy and keep reading! I intend to finish this one to the end!**

******Adoptedasian123: Ahaha, yeah I can imagine that too :)**

******Atlasofidioms: Yeah, she is a little...who knows? *winks awkwardly* Things may or may not happen in the future that may or may not be surprising! You'll just have to wait!**

******Adios, mi amigos!  
**

******-Verdigurl**


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